Winner Takes Ash: TripleThreat Triangle
by PowerZone
Summary: For Ash, being the Pokemon Master isn't enough. Four girls try to find the path to his heart, but Ash's steps in his continuing journey send him to a situation least expected. COMPLETE.
1. Table of Contents

Now that Ash Ketchum is a world-renowned Pokémon master, he must set his sights on a new future, a future for him to discover. But as he goes along the way, he suddenly stumbles into a new kind of feeling - a feeling that will draw him out into this new experience. And because of this experience, he must withstand his glory once more as a Pokémon master...

And this time, he has to do it... all without...

...

THROWING A POKéBALL!?

"What the heck is going on here?"

* * *

Is he worthy or is he guilty?

Winner Takes Ash, the revived novel from 2007, is back with a new plot, nevertheless in the same old story. Ash is caught in the middle of a triple-threat triangle of three Pokémon trainers - Misty, May, and Dawn, all whose hearts are waiting for Ash to conquer and possess... or maybe the other way around.

But the one question remains:

CAN YOU DO IT, ASH?

Is he ready for the thrill, the suspense, the drama, the comedy, the romance?

Are YOU ready as well?

* * *

PowerZone presents his latest novel...

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**WINNER TAKES ASH**

FIRST OF THREE NOVELS: TRIPLE THREAT TRIANGLE

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2008

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**Table of contents:**

Prologue: The Pokémon Masters (complete and submitted)

Chapter 1: Face-Off (complete and submitted)

Chapter 2: Bedside and Beyond (complete and submitted)

Chapter 3: Under the Showers (complete and submitted)

Chapter 4: Pallet Lessons and Dreams (complete and submitted)

Chapter 5: Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience (complete and submitted)

Chapter 6: Forest and Poisons (complete and submitted)

Chapter 7: It's A Whole New Gym Leader (complete and submitted)

Chapter 8: Brock's Flashback (complete and submitted)

Chapter 9: Pains of the Past (complete and submitted)

Chapter 10: Petalburg Pursuit! To the Maximum (complete and submitted)

Chapter 11: Bringing Back the Young Days (complete and submitted)

Chapter 12: A Little Taste of Darkness (complete and submitted)

Chapter 13: Nightmares (complete and submitted)

Chapter 14: A Night in the Meadows (complete and submitted)

Chapter 15: The Amazing Transformation (complete and submitted)

Chapter 16: Tidal Terror (complete and submitted)

Chapter 17: Lost From the Tree (complete and submitted)

Chapter 18: Love Fever - Stricken (complete and submitted)

Chapter 19: Three-Way Hostility (complete and submitted)

Chapter 20: Detection of Infection - A Virus Like No Other! (complete and submitted)

Chapter 21: A Secret of Two Trainers Unveiled (complete and submitted)

Chapter 22: Contest Preparations (complete and submitted)

Chapter 23: Lots and Lots of Wet and Wild Showdowns and Splashes (complete and submitted)

Chapter 24: More Lots and Lots of Wet and Wild Showdowns and Splashes (complete and submitted)

Chapter 25: Still More Lots and Lots of Wet and Wild Showdowns and Splashes (complete and submitted)

Chapter 26: A Girl's Sweetest Dreams (complete and submitted)

Chapter 27: The Voyage A Maple Has to Follow (complete and submitted)

Chapter 28: A Terrible Sight to Behold (complete and submitted)

Chapter 29: Not All Waterflowers Are Always Blue (complete and submitted)

Chapter 30: Return of Team Rocket - With a Twist! (complete and submitted)

Chapter 31: Francine (complete and submitted)

Chapter 32: The Homecoming (complete and submitted)

Chapter 33: Team Rocket Epic Battle - Battle of Life and Love! - Part 1; The Deal (complete and submitted)

Chapter 34: Team Rocket Epic Battle - Battle of Life and Love! - Part 2; No Turning Back (complete and submitted)

Chapter 35: When A Chapter Ends, A New One Begins (complete and submitted)

**Chapter 32 has been merged so that it would only become one chapter.  
**

* * *

So if you're ready for the action, suspense, and drama... then search through the chapter list and enter the post-champion life of Pokemon trainer Ash Ketchum!


	2. Prologue: The Pokemon Masters

**WINNER TAKES ASH**

A Pokémon fanfiction and web novel project by PowerZone

* * *

Here's a very brief background information about the story:

Genre: Adventure/Romance

Chapters: 36 (including the prologue)

Rating: T

Possible ages: Ash – 17; Misty – 20; Brock – 23; May – 16; Dawn – 15; Drew – 17; Paul – 17; Tracey - 21

* * *

**PROLOGUE: THE POKéMON MASTERS**

Have you ever asked yourself the question: what is my dream? Or have you tried: when will I reach it? Obviously, you're not going to get it in a few days, let alone weeks. You just come to it by learning and struggling. That's what I had encountered as a tyke – I was inspired by other Pallet Town trainers who would pit their Pokémon against each other. Watching them battle leapt my insides, and it also gave me a tinge for me to travel.

After seven to eight years of traveling, I tackled on the greatest challenge of reaching my dream – facing the dream itself. I became successful through it, and I'm proud to stand on top of the mountain.

Loud cheers, the applause, and the breeze of the air rung and swept to my ears and my body. I was holding the gold-crafted trophy of the Sinnoh Conference League. Having defeated my final opponent was a beat – yea, a beat for three hours and forty-two minutes. Strength didn't matter when I was battling – only skills and tactics. I raised the trophy to the air and let the sun cast its envious rays. The trophy shined brighter than the sun. my buddy, Pikachu, who had been with me all this time, came through all this trial and was standing side by side with me on the peak – along with my championship team – Grotle, Monferno, Floatzel, Gliscor, and Staraptor. It was Pikachu who launched the first attack when we met and made the final attack in the championship.

Dawn and Brock, my two Sinnoh companions, were on the sidelines – and they were cheering and applauding with the rest of the crowd. Suddenly, they just came out from their seats and ran over to me.

"Hey guys," I called them over.

"Congratulations Ash," Brock congratulated me – his face and slanted eyes showing their utmost sign of approval and respect, "you've finally done it."

"Thanks," I thanked Brock as I put down the trophy on the ground. Brock and I grasped each other's right hand and looked at each other's eyes. We both saw the flames in our eyes – had we reached the ultimatum of our friendship?

"_Ash,_" Brock thought, "_looking in those eyes reminded me of the time you challenged me for the Boulder Badge. And now, so many things changed in the past – and now, this is the outcome._"

"_Sometimes, I couldn't help but watch your own style of living life to the fullest,_ I also thought, "_but you are one tough Breeder. If you'll ever find the path visible to you – I'm sure you'll step on it and move forward._"

Brock and I nodded and let go of our hands. Brock stepped backward and said, "I'll go back to the Pokémon Center – I'll try to contact the others."

I nodded. Brock went out of the platform and ran to the exit. When he meant by "others," he probably meant the people I've met since I left home – maybe mom and her Mr. Mime were celebrating and the whole of Pallet Town throwing a victory party. I could imagine Professor Oak and Tracey jumping up and down everywhere around the laboratory.

Dawn and I were left in the platform. Something funny seemed to surround the both of us.

"Um, Ash," I heard Dawn whisper amidst all the applause and cheers in a stadium full of five thousand people.

"Yeah," I looked at her and suddenly became confused for Dawn to look down.

Seconds later, she looked up and opened her mouth a bit. I didn't know what she wanted to say. I didn't know what would happen next. My sweat was trickling down, my heart started pounding, and my legs kept on shaking.

I knew what was going to happen – but I did not have time to react.

Dawn swiftly moved forward towards me. She placed her hands on my arms and at the same time – stuck her lips on mine. What the heck was she thinking? It seemed Dawn was not conscious that six cameras were still live and five thousand or so people started whistling and roaring. It took Dawn a full minute to finish. It took me a full minute to stay there frozen as if I were a Piloswine in the ice age. She just let go of my arms and turned away, leaving me baffled and confused.

When she disappeared into the hallway, Pikachu and I stepped down from the platform and hastily ran after Dawn. Pikachu followed me from behind. Soon, the lights faded and the applause died.

We entered the locker room and found Dawn looking at the poster. It had a poster of me and my Pokémon that traveled with me in the Hoenn region: Sceptile, Torkoal, Corphish, Glalie, Swellow, and Pikachu. I took off my vest, cap, and gloves and placed them on the mono bloc chair behind me. After I put them down, somebody tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around and found Dawn. I tried to ask, but my mouth only hung open.

Everything fell into place.

All the memories came back.

All the pains vanished.

Only a feeling of sensation filled my veins.

Thirty seconds of reflection took me to realize that she was trying to tell me all along from the very start. She didn't have to say it in words – she only needed one move.

One move was enough.

"Is that what you were trying to tell me earlier before my championship match," I asked her.

Dawn blushed and looked down. "Yes," she said weakly.

I didn't speak further, fearing that it might leave me more confused about what happened today. Looking at Dawn made me realize that there's still something I lack. It didn't have to shape me as a trainer, but as a person. I heard the door close slowly, and I knew that Dawn left the room. I sat down on the bench opposite the poster with my arms on the backrests. Pikachu leapt to my lap and kept me company.

"I don't get some things," I told my buddy. "People just seem to do things without knowing why they should."

That was all I was hiding for now – and I quickly forgot about what Dawn did. Maybe it had no significance – maybe it just meant that she wanted to thank me for all the adventures. When I grew bored of the locker room, I took the five Pokéballs with me and I rushed to the Pokémon Center – quickly avoiding the eyes of people who would recognize me. Inside the Pokémon Center, I saw Brock and Dawn seated somewhere near the window.

After my Pokémon were restored to full health, I went over to them.

"This may be goodbye for now," Brock spoke. "We'll meet somewhere in the world – maybe behind a tree, across a river, or on top of a mountain…"

"That is – if we're lucky," Dawn added and we laughed.

Brock looked away and said rather disapprovingly, "Dad's been expecting so much from me, and mom wants another go at the gym."

"It's hard to be a Breeder," I remarked.

Brock nodded. "Yeah, and it's harder to be the eldest."

The three of us were silent for a moment while we thought about what to say. Nothing came, so I guess our limit finally reached itself.

"So, it's goodbye from here," Dawn said sadly as she looked at me drearily.

* * *

People believe in their dreams, and they would stop at nothing short to reach their goal. Some people would do it for their own pride; others want to do it for their personal gain – like Team Rocket. How long had it been since they had started stalking us in everyday attempts to capture Pikachu? Come to think of it, I still don't know their ultimate reason for catching Pikachu. I had wanted to give them second thoughts about what they were doing – but they never wanted to give up. Jessie, James, and Meowth, the three and only members of Team Rocket in the Sinnoh region, didn't seem to be threats to me. But yet, I didn't know that they would plan their final attempt.

My guard was down – the window of the Pokémon Center crashed open and a large stretching device caught Pikachu in the blink of an eye.

"What the heck," I wheeled around.

"Listen, is that a voice I hear?"

"It's speaking to me loud and clear!"

"Moving all the way…" "past the stars…" "in your ear!"

"Bringing chaos in a breaking pace…"

"Dashing hope – putting fear in its place…"

"Calling each other names – just as sweet…"

"When everything's worse, our work is complete!"

"Jessie!" "James!" "Meowth's the name!"

"Wherever there's peace in the universe…"

"Team Rocket is there…"

"…to make everything worse!"

Although I didn't pay much attention to the motto, I still caught up with the stretching device and attempted to pull Pikachu out. It was either the plan was too perfect, or the device was too strong.

"You blasted twerp," Meowth bellowed, "why don't you take a hold of this!" Meowth took out a remote control and pressed the red button on it.

Instantly, a vehicle that was holding out the stretching hand suddenly transformed into a blazing red robot (of course with the R in its chest). The robot was twice the size of the Pokémon Center, and trainers were already surrounding the area to get a good look.

"Team Rocket," I called out through gritted teeth, "let them go!"

"As if," Jessie said scathingly. "Anyways, how would you like to bring out all you can and go against this indestructible robot?"

I took out my five Pokémon and had them attack the robot at once.

"Watch this," James said through the megaphone. Instantly, the robot fired a Hyper Beam attack, then a Thunderbolt attack, then a Hydro Pump, Solarbeam, Flamethrower, Shadow Ball, and loads of attacks. The robot was too powerful – all my five Pokemon fainted from the assault. Suddenly, stretching arms came out from the back of the robot and took all my five Pokémon in glass capsules.

I couldn't help but fall on my knees as I listened to the insults of Team Rocket. And just as it was about to be over…

"Let them go, you thieves," shouted a trainer to my left. He has six Pokéballs ready.

Of course, Team Rocket insulted those who stood in their way – but the more Team Rocket insulted, the more trainers came up to face the robot.

"Free them or deal with us!"

"You won't get away with what you're doing!"

"Get ready to pay the ultimate price!"

I stood up slowly and clenched my fist at the robot. Then someone to my left hissed, "How pathetic. Is this what a champion does?"

I turned to my left and saw Paul looking up at the robot.

"Paul!"

Paul glared at me and said, "Why don't you do something about this situation – if you can really call yourself a champion!" He threw his six Pokéballs and out came Honchkrow, Torterra, Electivire, Magmortar, Staraptor, and Mamoswine. They were all ready to face the menace.

Suddenly, Dawn and Brock arrived at the scene.

"Team Rocket has no means of quitting, huh," Brock said. He called out his Toxicroak, Sudowoodo, Forretress, and Chansey. Dawn took out her Empoleon, Lopunny, Pachirisu, and Ambipom.

The assault started commencing when Brock and Dawn simultaneously ordered their Pokémon to attack. As the robot was ready to fire its Hyper Beam – three combined Hyper Beams from a Scizor, Salamence, and a Flygon shut down the attack. In not time, the scene stirred into chaos – attacks flew everywhere and some even misfired or hit the wrong target.

I rushed back to the Pokémon Center and took the megaphone. "Have Pokémon go underground and dig near the robot's feet," I called through the megaphone. "Psychic and ghost Pokémon, fuse your attacks to stop the right hand! Electric and water Pokémon, fuse your attacks to stop the left one! Flying Pokémon, distract the robot by flying in and out!" The plan worked well – and the robot was instantly disabled. "Carry some fighting Pokémon to the glass capsules and have them use Brick Break!"

A few fighting Pokémon rode behind some strong flying Pokémon and went to the capsules. The fighting Pokémon performed Brick Break attacks – the glass capsules broke and my Pokémon were released.

"N-no way," Jessie growled impatiently, "this w-was supposed to be indestructible!"

I put down the megaphone and stepped forward to face them. "The only indestructible thing here is all of us – all of us share the common bond we have with our Pokémon. We form and unite – they become our loyal partners, and we become their faithful trainers. This bond is one that will never break – it cannot separate even with the Pokémon we had parted long ago. If there is something that is ultimately weak, that should be you, Team Rocket!

"You followed me and my companions ever since I left town for a journey. You desperately made attempts to catch Pikachu and any rare Pokémon you could find – all to restore your own glory as Team Rocket members! Do you even realize that all of your plans can be foiled in a flash like the one you're about to see?

"It just goes to show that even the evilest masterplan can be counteracted by the power of friendship and trust we share to our Pokémon. It is not their strength that makes them powerful! Even if your robot is claimed to be indestructible – there's one thing it doesn't have that makes it ultimately weaker than a Zigzagoon – a heart! If you don't give up now, we'll blast you off away!"

Everyone roared in approval.

"You'll never win!"

"You always lose!"

"You guys never had a fighting heart," I heard Brock call. "You never had a heart at all!"

"THAT'S ENOUGH," Jessie roared through the megaphone, "I'VE HAD ENOUGH LISTENING TO ALL THAT DRABBLE! YOU'RE ALL PUNY – YOU'RE ALL CRAZY – YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE SAYING TWERP! ALL OF YOU ARE USELESS! MEOWTH, LAUNCH ALL THE MISSILES AT ONCE!"

"Missiles," Dawn muttered, "but I don't see anything in the robot that…"

Her doubts were answered when the robot suddenly opened its armor to reveal full artillery of missiles – from the head to the feet.

"This is the last hit," I called to everyone. "Let's make sure that your attack wipes them off the Sinnoh region!"

The missiles launched from the robot. And at the same time, the Pokémon gathered fired off the most powerful ranged attack: Solarbeam, Flamethrower, Hydro Pump, Thunder, Hyper Beam, Blizzard, Shadow Ball, Sludge Bomb, Whirlwind, Dark Pulse, Focus Blast, Psychic, Gyro Ball, Dragon Pulse, Power Gem, Mud Shot, and Silver Wing. The attacks fused together in mid-air and formed the figure of a warrior wielding a bright shield and a long sword. Most paid no attention to the figure, but I watched it raise a shield to fend off the missiles and take one strike to the robot's main system.

A tremendous explosion occurred and the robot blasted off from the ground.

"You haven't seen the last of us," Jessie roared.

"Wait till we come back for the next season," Meowth added.

"If that next season would come," James said sheepishly.

"Just ask Satoshi," Meowth said hoarsely, "he might be writing the next one already. See you in the next region, twerps!"

Wobbuffet came out from nowhere and saluted, "Wob-buffet!"

Team Rocket yelled, "We're blasting off for good – for now!"

Below them, everyone roared in victory. All of my Pokémon came over to me and we gave a group hug. Perhaps everyone inside is a winner – those who helped, and even those who just sat in the sidelines and witnessed the greatest battle. Even if a person has no Pokémon, he/she is a winner in his heart.

Even I hate to admit it, but Paul also helped – even if his taunts were just as dirty as a Sludge attack.

But whatever the part played, we were all happy. And that's what it was supposed to be…

* * *

First chapter on Winner Takes Ash: Face-Off

"Mine!"

"No, he's mine!"

"Get yourselves off him, he's mine!"

"No, I said he's mine!"

"I said so – he's mine!"

"No, mine!"

…

"Ash," Dawn said, concerned, "what's up?"

"It's nothing," I just quickly brushed a tear from my cheek.

Dawn was too sincere. "I have a feeling it's not Pikachu that's bothering you. We can talk about it in my cabin. Come with me."

**To be continued...

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**

**Existing chapters:**

**Prologue – The Pokémon Masters

* * *

**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Well, we're off to a great start. I promise that I would keep up with the storyline... and hopefully, Ash will have found someone for him to be with for the rest of his life. But will he ever? Only one way to find out: read the rest of the story and see where it leads him. And I also revised this chapter after a very long time...

**The author does not own Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, Pokémon Platinum, and any of its franchises and merchandises. The author owns Winner Takes Ash. And for the rest of the disclaimers, I DO NOT OWN DP... I feel lazy to change them.**

**PowerZone**


	3. Ch1: FaceOff

**CHAPTER 1: FACE-OFF **

When Ash Ketchum sets his sights to look further for anything he missed, an unexpected turn awaits him during his sleep...

* * *

"Mine!"

"No, he's mine!"

"Get yourselves off him, he's mine!"

"No, I said he's mine!"

"I said so – he's mine!"

"No, mine!"

Suddenly I woke up from that terrible dream. I closed my eyes to recall how it looked like. I remembered three figures: one pulling my left hand, another pulling my right arm, and the third grabbing my collar. I realized who they were: Dawn on the left, May on the right, and Misty on the collar. At first, it seemed pleasant to have Dawn's soft hands and May's embracing arms on mine. But when it got to Misty, she grabbed the collar of my vest. The dream had become almost like a nightmare! Thank goodness I woke up!

"I can't sleep," I told myself. "I need to find them and tell them how I feel."

I pictured myself strolling with Dawn on a path through a beautiful field under the full moon. I could imagine myself expressing my everlasting love for her. And under the moon, we both shared our kiss… very warm.

Then I found myself imagining May and I going down the shore of Petalburg City. It was midnight and the full moon shone overhead. In a small spot on the shore, the full moon would shine upon May's angelic figure. I then found myself in the imagination expressing my everlasting love for her, and in the end we would share our kiss… how heavenly.

Misty and I would then be beside a crystal clear lake under the full moon. We would happen to talk about experiences then come to love. She would then confess her everlasting love for me. In the end, our hands would brace tightly with the other and we would kiss the night away… so romantic.

So why's there a full moon in my trance? It's not like a Poochyena would jump out from the bushes and startle me.

"Oh man," I stood up and asked myself, "who should I choose? Taking one of them out on a date would be a once in a lifetime opportunity."

I realized that another journey began – the journey of love. But I knew that it would be very difficult to fall in love with three girls… with three very different girls.

I knew that they might not believe me if I told them how I felt. And if they did, I would wonder if we would bicker for the rest of our lives.

"I'm done with the Sinnoh quest," I said to myself. "My life is now free."

And then there were still the scary ones. If I chose Dawn, I wonder how May and Misty would feel. May would probably give up being a coordinator and Misty would resign her gym leader post. If I chose May, maybe Dawn would slap me repeatedly until my face grew red. If I chose Misty, well, the same worries haunted me.

What if one of them committed suicide or died out of love?

"NO!!"

That yell woke up Pikachu, my long-time buddy and companion until the end. But that hard decision left me frustrated. After all, the choice does not come overnight.

Of course it was not necessary to do this – but why live the rest of my life miserably?

I could use the Pokégear to call them, but it was still a little after two in the morning upon checking my Pokétch. They're probably asleep. And Pikachu also went back to sleep. Maybe I can call them later.

"Nevermind," I said to myself. I laid back on my sleeping bag and gazed at the sky. The fire just a few feet away was burning out, so I threw some leaves at the fire. I gazed back at the starry sky and felt tired. Before I closed my eyes, I heard a repeating beeping sound.

The Pokégear! Who could be calling me at this time of night?

I stood up and ruffled through my bag and took out the Pokégear. It was the Pokégear mom gave me after the Sinnoh League. I should've gone home with mom, but I decided to stay behind to do a few things. I was surprised to find Misty's number flashing on the screen. Why would she be calling me?

"H-hello," I said the moment I pressed the answer button, "M-Misty?"

Nobody replied.

"Hello," I answered again.

Nobody still replied.

"Misty," I said, my voice rising, "why are you calling me?"

"Ash," the worried voice of Misty answered, "I – I can't sleep."

It hit me like a Remoraid's Aurora Beam on my head.

"Please," Misty answered, "I need you here. I can't stand leaving you."

It really hit me – like a Steelix using Double Edge.

"What are you talking about," I called.

"Come back," Misty sobbed through her Pokégear. I assumed she was crying already. "I miss you very much – I miss us."

Apparently, Misty seemed to be too gushy with this. I never had wanted anything sentimental. Pokémon is my life and my dream, not just one girl who misses me very much. Oh man, what a joke.

But why live the rest of life miserably? It's only me and Pikachu alone in a spot somewhere in the Sinnoh region. I've won the championships anyway, so there's nothing wrong with reuniting old friends.

Misty – why? I can't bear to stand her life sentimentally. But she's a special friend.

"Misty," I answered without knowing I would do this, "don't you worry. I'll be there soon."

"Ash…"

And with that, I ended transmission…

I laughed silently at myself for having done this dare. My thought left Dawn and May and were transfixed on Misty. I wondered how many inches of hair Misty grew? What would I expect when I would get there? The awaiting Misty welcoming me with an embrace? Fat chance.

I looked at Pikachu. It was sleeping peacefully.

"Pikachu," I muttered, "you really are my best pal. I won't mind a Thunderbolt attack one bit."

I went back to my sleeping bag, closed my eyes, and slept with a smile plastered on my face.

* * *

"Pika-chuuu!!"

The attack that never failed me hit the Nosepass like a sunny-side-up egg in a frying pan. Oh, and when we left the spot, a trainer came to challenge us. and so, here we are – his Nosepass against my Pikachu. I had experience with rock Pokémon using electric moves, so I'm no wimp. The Thunderbolt attack did little damage, but at least the paralysis gave in.

"Okay Pikachu," I called, "let's finish this with Iron Tail!"

Pikachu came at Nosepass, leapt up in the air, twisted its body and landed the glowing tail on Nosepass's head. Nosepass went down to the ground and fainted.

"Thanks," my opponent thanked me after his Nosepass stood up, "that battle was worth learning."

"I assume you're going for the Sinnoh League," I said to him. He nodded. I replied, "Well, give it your best and earn those badges!"

we thanked each other before moving on. Then I suddenly remembered something.

"Hey," I called him back, "do you know any town nearby with ferries that take people to the Kanto region?"

"Sure," he replied, "there's one up ahead."

I thanked the trainer and we went in opposite directions. Minutes later, I arrived at the town. Since the ferry for the Kanto region would still leave in two hours, we decided to take breakfast in a delicatessen. But as the waiter gave us a menu, he looked at me and said to everyone, "Everyone, the Sinnoh champion is here!"

In no more than thirty seconds, twenty then thirty people surrounded me, most of which were girls. One of them wanted an autograph, another wanted to ask me out on a date, another wanted to hold Pikachu, and another asked what it meant to be a Pokémon master. I signed, refused, allowed, and answered them. But I did take my breakfast after all, then I dashed out of the restaurant and to the port – leaving a trail of girls rushing after me.

When I finally lost them, I bought my ticket then Pikachu and I boarded the ferry to the Kanto region. My cabin was at the second floor of the ferry. Inside the cabin, I put down my bag on the floor and Pikachu leapt off my shoulder to lie down on the soft bed.

I reflected on some things – when I met Misty for the first time and destroying her bike, May and Max's often sibling rivalry, quarrels with Dawn, and the great lessons about life and Pokémon from Brock. But now, it was time to say goodbye to the Sinnoh region for now.

My Pokégear beeped again. Pikachu immediately opened my bag and took it out.

"Thanks," I said. I looked at the screen and found Dawn's number. I pressed the answer button.

"Hey Ash," Dawn answered with a tone like she was boasting, "I'm boarding the S.S. Whirlpool to Vermilion City to start my Kanto journey. Well, I hope you don't mind…"

"What," I was stunned. We're on the same boat! "We're on the same boat! What's your cabin number?" I suddenly grew excited. "Mines two dash thirty-seven."

"Omigosh," Dawn squealed, "mine's two dash thirty-nine!"

We were just two rooms away! I immediately ran to the door with Pikachu at my shoulder. When I went out of my room, I turned left and saw Dawn fast approaching.

"Ash!"

"Dawn!"

We greeted each other with a nice hig.

"It's been long," I said after we broke. "You're going to the Kanto region for a journey?"

Dawn hung up on the Pokégear and answered happily, "Yup, a journey for eight badges or maybe five ribbons and the Indigo Grand Festival."

"Well," I said, "I wish you luck."

Dawn nodded confidently. "So what brought you here?"

I could explain straight – if I told her the whole truth, she might freak out. "I'm going back to the region to see mom again. And I'll stop by Cerulean City to visit an old friend."

"Oh okay," Dawn said. She looked at Pikachu on my shoulder. "Hello again, Pikachu. It's been a long while."

"Pika-pika!"

"Pikachu are more common in the Kanto region if you ask me," I told her. "And this Pikachu is no ordinary one." Yes, I remembered it very well – the painful memory of what almost seemed to be the permanent separation. After the climatic rescue from the meancing Team Rocket, I had desperately left the memories behind, but Pikachu struggled with my emotion. That event alone made the two of us the best of pals and counting the other five ones in my belt. Facing Dawn, however, I slightly frowned after what I said about Pikachu.

"Ash," Dawn said, concerned, "what's up?"

"It's nothing," I just quickly brushed a tear from my cheek.

Dawn was too sincere. "I have a feeling it's not Pikachu that's bothering you. We can talk about it in my cabin. Come with me."

Dawn held my hand and took me to her cabin. Her bag was in the bed along with one Pokéball. I tried to find the opportunity to tell her the truth, yet I was lost in thought. "Should I tell you?"

She kept her face as serious as possible. "Tell me what?"

Now what?

"Well, it's about Misty…"

Dawn blinked.

"I don't really like to tell it, but I'm just here to visit her and mom, and maybe Brock," I said, while doing my best to paste an ironic grin on my face. But even if I didn't mention how things were going, Dawn interpreted everything.

"You sure do have sentiments for her." To my horror, she started crying.

"No, it's not how it works," I countered, but the lie was too much. I tried to comfort her with a pat on the shoulder.

Dawn just brushed my hand off her shoulder and ran out of the cabin. The incident left me part sorry and part confused. Me and my big mouth… what did I have to say to deserve this thing anyway?

* * *

The ferry arrived in Vermilion City two days later. Fortunately, I didn't see Dawn anywhere. Without any time to look for her, Pikachu and I went to a bike shop to purchase a bike. Luck hit me that day, because Lieutenant Surge, the Vermilion City gym leader, was in the shop. He was talking to the storeowner.

"So I was planning to convert a bike into a motorcycle," he said to the storeowner.

"I don't see why not," said the storeowner. "We have the marvels of technology nowadays. I guess anything must be possible."

"Alright," Lt. Surge said, "I'll come back in a few days."

He turned to leave the shop when we spotted each other.

"It's the Sinnoh League champion," Lt. Surge said. We shook hands. "I knew you'd come back, Ash. Congratulations."

I thanked him.

"So you're going back to Pallet Town," he assumed.

"Uh," I answered wonderingly, "yeah, but I'll be heading to Cerulean City to…" I didn't dare tell him about Misty, "to visit an old friend."

"I see," Lt. Surge nodded. "Well, I'd be happy to serve the champion. Since I'm off gym duty for two days, we can rush to the City of the Mystical Aura in my Humvee."

We went to his garage beside the gym. There was a weird-looking vehicle that looked like an armored car.

"This baby is fast," Lt. Surge as he tapped the Humvee's hood. "Me and my electric Pokemon used this to retreat from our enemies during the war. After fifteen years, it's still as good as ever."

We went inside the Humvee. There were lost of buttons and controls inside. Lt. Surge started the Humvee and drove us out of the city. We were headed north for Cerulean City.

I deeply thought about Dawn and felt sorry about what happened a few days ago. I wondered where she could be by now.

"Is something the matter," Lt. Surge asked as we rode through a small forest. I just looked up and shook my head. "Well," he said rather excitedly, "let's go on."

He shifted the gear and drove faster through the forest. If I did my calculations correctly and went at this speed, we would arrive in Cerulean City in approximately ten hours.

* * *

Thankfully, we arrived at the outskirts of the city at the seventh hour – and Pikachu and I were dead hungry. Lt. Surge still seemed energetic after seven hours of driving and constantly switching gears. Suddenly, I spotted something up ahead.

"Um, Lt. Surge," I asked, "what's that?"

"Hold on," he said as we approached that something – a jump, "this will be wild!"

I was scared out of my wits as we approached the jump ramp. Lt. Surge drove the Humvee faster. I didn't know why we would take the crazy stunt, but I guess it was the only way to go to Cerulean City.

"Here goes nothing," Lt. Surge said readily.

The Humvee went on as it leapt off from the jump. Pikachu and I panicked, but Lt. Surge kept his cool. I grabbed tightly on the metal bars beside the seat as I watched the elevation come closer and closer. If I'm injured after the jump, I'm toast.

Five feet, four feet, two feet… "Activate anti-gravity," Lt. Surge spoke and he flicked a switch somewhere above him.

I was expecting a large thud in the split of a second, but nothing came. When I checked myself, I was just fine. Pikachu, who had been hiding on my trainer's jacket before the jump, looked up with a blank look. We seemed to be moving very slowly. We also realized that the Humvee was floating a few feet off the ground.

"I love custom modifications," Lt. Surge told me, "so I built an anti-gravity system." He sniggered. "Marvelous wonders of technology, heh…"

He flicked the same switch earlier. The Humvee regained its gravity and it landed on the ground with a thud. Now I knew why we had to take the jump on a fast pace – there was a river behind us.

I straightened myself from the landing and looked ahead. There were a few buildings – yup, it was Cerulean alright! "It's just straight ahead," I said to Lt. Surge. But I began to wonder, "Um, how will you get back the way you came?"

"There's a bridge just a few miles from here," Lt. Surge said.

"Wh-what," I exclaimed, "w-we could've used that instead!"

Lt. Surge chuckled and said, "I thought a little more suspense would make the trip exciting, but anyway – we're here and that's all it matters."

He drove us into the city. Many have changed since I came here for my gym battle. Seven hours of travel without food was too enduring for me and Pikachu, and Lt. Surge decided to let us eat an afternoon snack in a nearby restaurant. I couldn't wait to see Misty! I wondered how much she has grown since last time.

"Gotta go, Ash," Lt. Surge bade us goodbye, "it's been nice seeing you again. Hope we'll meet soon!" He went out of the restaurant and stepped back in his Humvee. Then he drove off.

Pikachu and I were famished with the wonderful food. Lt. Surge had also paid for the snacks.

"Let's head to the gym," I told Pikachu. It was a long time since I saw Cerulean City, yet I still remembered the route through the city to the gym. And while we were on the way, an ambulance blaring its siren passed by us – then it turned to a corner and disappeared in the next street.

"Nevermind that, Pikachu," I told my buddy and we continued on.

"Pika-pika!"

Ten minutes later, we arrived at the Cerulean City gym. The entrance welcomed us with Gyarados statues spouting water from their mouths and flowing down a channel to a moat surrounding the gym. "Misty does know her engineering," I said to myself and smiled.

We stepped through the front door into the reception room. I didn't see anyone.

"H-hello," I called out, "anyone here?"

Nobody answered. I ruffled through my bag to find my Pokégear. When I found it, I immediately contacted Misty's number. Nobody answered for a while. I became too eager and too impatient.

Suddenly, someone answered the transmission but it wasn't Misty. Yet, I recognized the voice. "Come over to the hospital quickly, Misty's in a very serious situation!"

May was answering the call!

"May," I called, "w-what happened?"

It almost became clear – the ambulance!

"It – it's very bad," May answered worriedly, "she – she got electrocuted by her own Gyarados just twenty minutes ago! It was bad – we're afraid she might not make it."

I couldn't bear to hear more. I ended transmission and dropped to my knees.

"No," I groaned at the news. I might lose her – it might be too late. And all my efforts in coming here would just be a waste of time. Pikachu's consolation could not even do any help. I let all the tears out. "No, MISTY!!"

WILL MISTY SURVIVE?

* * *

Next chapter on Winner Takes Ash: Bedside and Beyond

"I found this under Misty's pillow." Brock!

"It says that it's for Ash," came May's voice. I wondered what they could be talking about. I pressed my ear against the door to listen better.

"Hmm, it's a letter," came Brock's voice.

…

"I believe I ruined everything," I told them. Tears started flowing from my eyes. I became angry. "The reason I came back was to see Misty. And if you guys are hindering me, then I'm leaving." I looked the other way. "Let's go, Pikachu!"

…

"Is Misty someone dear to you?" That was the question I was expecting. I had no time to go over it. I had to be honest.

"Yes," I said in a defeated tone.

"This one is very interesting," Brock said as he leaned on the wall next to the door. "A lot have considered Misty as attractive. She just told me yesterday that she missed you very much…"

…

"Please don't take Misty," I pleaded silently as tears continued rolling down my face. "Please…"

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Existing chapters:**

**Prologue – The Pokemon Masters**

**Chapter 1 – Face-Off**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

I revived the story Winner Takes Ash from about a year ago. My computer got a virus and we had to reformat it. However, the disk that contained my forty-four drafted chapters could not read, so I had to start from the very beginning. But it was a good thing I still had the hard copies. Sorry to disappoint you guys, but nevertheless it's revived. I'll make sure that what I had planned won't be changed!

I encourage it best if you guys would read and review. And if you read the chapter well, I hope you would send in your answer to the following question: who do you want Ash to be with in the end? Choose between Misty, May, Dawn, or another girl.

Thanks and take care, Pokémon fanfiction readers.

**The author does not own Pokémon, Nintendo, or GameFreak. The author owns Winner Takes Ash, Pokémon Pearl, and Pokémon Diamond.**

**PowerZone**


	4. Ch2: Bedside and Beyond

**CHAPTER 2: BEDSIDE AND BEYOND**

Now that things are getting intense for Ash, it's time for him to settle the old score within himself...

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 1) "H-hello," I said the moment I pressed the answer button, "M-Misty?"

Nobody replied.

"Hello," I answered again.

Nobody still replied.

"Misty," I said, my voice rising, "why are you calling me?"

"Ash," the worried voice of Misty answered, "I – I can't sleep."

It hit me like a Remoraid's Aurora Beam on my head.

"Please," Misty answered, "I need you here. I can't stand leaving you."

…

(Introduction) "This may be goodbye for now," Brock spoke. "We'll meet somewhere in the world – maybe behind a tree, across a river, or on top of a mountain…"

"That is – if we're lucky," Dawn added and we laughed.

Brock looked away and said rather disapprovingly, "Dad's been expecting so much from me, and mom wants another go at the gym."

"It's hard to be a Breeder," I remarked.

Brock nodded. "Yeah, and it's harder to be the eldest."

The three of us were silent for a moment while we thought about what to say. Nothing came, so I guess our limit finally reached itself.

"So, it's goodbye from here," Dawn said sadly as she looked at me drearily.

* * *

**STORY PROPER:**

I was about to hit the floor when someone tugged my arm. When I looked up, it was one of Misty's sisters, Daisy. She looked at me as if there was something wrong with me. But to tell the truth, yeah, I guess there must be really something wrong.

"Oh," Daisy started as she helped me up," it's just you! Sorry about not taking the response."

Suddenly, I was quick on my feet. Without realizing I was talking to a girl, I yelled, "Where's Misty? What happened to her?"

"Oh," Daisy replied with a gasp, but it seemed that the gasp was halfway between a genuine and a fake one, "what happened to her back there went wild! Like, a Gyarados electrocuted her and she fell down in the water!"

I realized that the electrocution was not the cause of her consciousness, but being underwater did the job.

"There was a gym battle just a few minutes ago," Daisy explained. "Somehow, Misty just told her Gyarados to create a whirlpool, and then she let it use Thunderbolt! We fled from the arena as lightning went wild! A strong one electrified Misty, but I recall hearing some words before she got electrified." Daisy paused for a while and said slowly, "That's – how it went."

I mumbled something like, "Stupid girl." But it wasn't the best thing I should've done, so I turned back and said, "Where's the hospital Misty's in?"

"Just go three blocks down the highway then take a left and you'll see the large building named Aura Hospital," Daisy answered.

Even though I never heard of the hospital, I turned around and immediately sprinted for it. I just had to follow Daisy's directions until I would get there. While on the way, some people would look at me and said, "Hey, it's the Sinnoh champion!" but I didn't mind them. I had more important stuff to do.

After taking the first left, I saw the sign Aura Hospital. I barged inside the reception hall and hastily asked for Misty's room number.

"She's still in the ICU," the doctor behind the reception counter answered. "We'll be transporting her immediately to a hospital room once we clear things out."

I waited for about twenty minutes in the reception hall when the doctor approached me and said, "Sir, Ms. Waterflower has been transported to room sixty-seven. It's on the third floor."

I stood up and thanked the doctor. With little time to lose, I walked fast and up the stairs two steps at a time. I simply forgot that Pikachu was trotting behind me and trying to keep up. And when I reached the third floor, I took a quick left and spotted room sixty-seven. Pikachu and I had to take a breather from the intensity of the day's events. And when I was finally ready, I raised my fist to knock on the door. I was about to do it when I heard voices in the room.

"I found this under Misty's pillow." Brock!

"It says that it's for Ash," came May's voice. I wondered what they could be talking about. I pressed my ear against the door to listen better.

"Hmm, it's a letter," came Brock's voice.

I wondered what that letter contained? There was only one way to find out – four hard knocks on the door.

"Oh, a visitor," said May's voice. My heart started pounding as footsteps from inside drew closer to the door. I started sweating bullets. I was frozen like a Walrein uses Sheer Cold. Then the door opened and I was standing before a guy. He was a few inches taller than me. Although I didn't mind much of his features, the item he held made me recognize who it was. He was holding a sketch pad in his left arm.

"Ash, it's you!"

It was Tracey!

We gripped each other's hand tightly as we greeted each other back. Tracey Sketcher was my companion in the Orange Islands and a Pokémon watcher. He helped me, Pikachu, and Misty around the archipelago. It was there that I got my Lapras, which we used to surf through the seas around the archipelago.

My concerns however turned to Misty.

"How's Misty doing," I asked, concerned, and released the grip. Pikachu went inside the room and came over to Brock and May.

"Not doing good," Tracey answered worriedly. "We were able to draw out the water she swallowed, but the shock must've damaged most of her circulation. But it's a good thing the damage never reached her heart."

I sighed in relief. At least that was good to know.

"Come in, Ash," Tracey led me in.

The moment I stepped inside the hospital room, Brock and May called out my name. Brock had already returned to his home while I had been exploring the Sinnoh region a little further. And May, I didn't know how she ended up here.

The four of us and Pikachu gathered in a small circle in the hospital room. While making sure that our voices were not irritating enough to cause trouble, we discussed what we all did while time had flown. Once in a while, we would check on Misty's condition. And the conditions brought good news. Misty was now – just sleeping.

"I'd like to see your sketches," I asked Tracey. Tracey got his bag and took out all his sketch pads and drawing books; there were about thirty of them!

"Practically," Tracey told me as I flipped open the first sketchbook I could find. Pikachu came to my lap to view the sketches. "All those sketches were revised. I also have sketches of almost every Pokémon in the world."

I was curious. "Even those from Sinnoh?"

Trucy nodded. "Just scan."

I scanned a few pages and I came across sketches of Roserade, Hippopotas, Glameow, Vespiquen, Starly, and Torterra, and a lot more I couldn't mention.

"Hey," I told Tracey, "my Grotle will evolve soon, right?"

Tracey seemed excited. "Yeah. But preferably, I use the special abilities of Combee to attract Pokemon for my sketches. I also have a Burmy, Lumineon, and a Kirlia."

Brock shared a bit of information about Kirlia. "If I remember well, the Kirlia we met last time in the Sinnoh region evolved into a Gallade using a Dawn Stone, right? And the Kirlia in the Hoenn region evolved by a Gardevoir by itself, right?"

"Yeah," May said, "I remember."

"For a Kirlia to evolve into a Gallade," Brock continued, "three conditions are required: Kirlia has to have enough power to evolve into its final evolution, Kirlia must be exposed to a Dawn Stone, and Kirlia must be a male." He looked back at the sketch and said, "The only problem is that almost four-fifths of all Ralts and Kirlia around the world are female, so it's a rare chance of finding a male one."

Brock turned to me and said, "Speaking of Gallade, what happened to Dawn, Ash?"

What, I left her upset?

"Um, uh, she's on a journey here in the region," I told them nervously. I didn't want them to find out about everything.

Brock nodded slowly, Tracey grinned, and May just chuckled. I went to Tracey's other sketchpads and hoped that we would forget about the issue with Dawn. Tracey was not only good in sketching the pictures and poses of the Pokémon, but he was also good in sketching people. It reminded me of how Misty would take a sneak peek while Tracey was sketching.

"Cool," I flipped to a page with a Pokémon I've never seen before. It looked like a penguin with steel-hard wings and a crown that looked like the fork of a trident. "What's this one, Tracey?"

"That's an Empoleon," Tracey replied.

"An Empoleon," Brock spoke, "is the final evolution stage of Piplup. Come to think of it," he looked at me hopefully and said, "Dawn does have an Empoloen, doesn't she?"

I nodded without showing signs of weakness.

* * *

For the rest of the late afternoon and into the night, we shared about almost anything we could share. But the real reason why I came here was to see Misty. It also seemed too obvious for Brock, May, and Tracey to know. But only visiting her was one thing – telling it straight to her was another thing. Now was my chance.

I left the conversation and went over to Misty's bedside. I sat on the chair and looked at Misty's peaceful face. I removed my gloves and touched Misty's hand with my two bare hands. Her hand was still very warm and very soft. I caressed it while trying to find a way to express my sentiments.

"Misty," I started silently, "if you can hear them, please hear me for a while." The three were still merrily chatting, and it seemed like they didn't notice that I wasn't in the group. "I am now here, Misty, beside you. I've – I've learned so many things and – and I want to tell you everything." From holding her hand, I remembered memories of fear, guilt, "success, determination," I learned all of them. "I'm strong – even if I can be emotionally weak at times." I'm stupid, why did I have to say that? "When I became Champion, you seemed to be missing in the picture." I admitted, it was not the best thing to do. I took a deep sigh and continued, "I wanted to really tell you that from everything I faced…" I didn't seem ready, but here goes, "You're a special person in my life."

Looking at Misty made me calm and more sentimental. It was not the first time for me to experience this, thanks to what Dawn did to me back in the Sinnoh League. But I didn't really want to reject Dawn and May, but this unconscious girl was still whose heart was set for me.

"Ash," said a soft voice behind me. I jolted and turned around to find May looking at me. Did she know?

"M-May," I said slowly, "what is it?"

May just looked at me like she just saw a ghost. Without any answer, she just turned away and left the hospital room. I didn't understand what happened.

"Oh no," I groaned.

"What did you think you were doing?"

Brock and Tracey turned to me. Pikachu's expression was also blank. I looked at what Brock was holding – it was the letter that he was talking about before I came inside. Were they angry or was I confused?

"Ash," Tracey snapped.

"I believe I ruined everything," I told them. Tears started flowing from my eyes. I became angry. "The reason I came back was to see Misty. And if you guys are hindering me, then I'm leaving." I looked the other way. "Let's go, Pikachu!"

"We knew that already," Brock interrupted. He stepped closer and placed a tap of comfort on my shoulder. "We read the letter, and we knew the whole situation."

Tracey nodded and said, "The whole strategy was planned… we knew from the very start."

"Wh-what," I boomed, "s-so Misty's electrocution was a-also part of the p-plan?"

"N-no," Tracey answered and he told me to keep my voice down, "I – I just found out beforehand about Misty's tactics. W-we stood ready, but we were seconds late to s-save Misty from drowning…"

I realized that visiting Misty was a blatant waste of time after I heard that explanation. Why would Misty go as far as to electrocuting herself in a gym battle? I was electrocuted a lot of times, yet I got so used to it already!

"Ash," Brock said in a more comforting tone, "let's have a talk outside."

May came back inside – it seemed like she just got something from downstairs. So I guess there was no issue about her after all. I went outside the hospital room to the partially lit corridor. It was already about half-past eight in the evening, so not many people were already inside the hospital. I had to face Brock and keep myself as honest and innocent as possible.

"Ash," Brock started as he closed the door behind him, "please answer this honestly." I was expecting the most fearful question. There was no turning back. "Is Misty someone dear to you?" That was the question I was expecting. I had no time to go over it. I had to be honest.

"Yes," I said in a defeated tone.

"This one is very interesting," Brock said as he leaned on the wall next to the door. "A lot have considered Misty as attractive. She just told me yesterday that she missed you very much…" He held up the letter and gave it to me, "Here's the letter we found under Misty's pillow. I think you should read it yourself and think about what would happen if things went the other way around."

I took the letter from his hand and Brock went back inside the hospital room.

I tore the envelope and took out the letter.

_Ash,_

_I have words that I didn't merely write because of the events spreading around, but I had to write this because I feared that there would be a time when time would flow backward just for one second and ruin the whole concept of creation. The feeling I've been holding for so long just keeps on hovering around my head while I'm here scribbling words spilled from thought. And scribbling words into this reminded me on the first time we met. Although the succeeding moments were both of pain, trust, disgrace, and joy, I feel that we never had enough times to spend together – alone._

_Recently, my Horsea evolved into A Kingdra. Also, my sisters gave me an Eevee and a Water Stone for my birthday, and I got a beautiful Vaporeon! My sisters also toured the Sinnoh region and they gave me a Finneon and a cute Mantyke! From all these Pokemon I now have, I can't decide what to use in gym battles. I train all of them equally like my children._

_AND WHO IN THE NAME OF MEW WAS THAT GIRL? The girl you kissed in the Sinnoh championships! I still couldn't believe the fact that she would make the most insane stunt in front of six thousand people and the whole world nonetheless!_

_I've been sleeping peacefully for a very long time, but lately, things just went backwards and I couldn't take a wink at all. How I just wish that the memories would come back and we would start everything all over again… How I wish that we weren't too serious on what we were doing… How I wish that we'd all put the pieces into place and complete the whole puzzle in finding out in who we really are from the inside… How I wish…_

_Please come back, Ash… so that I may sleep peacefully once more…_

_Misty_

I wiped the tears from my eyes. At some point – it was sentimental and full of meaning. But as for me, I felt somewhat embarrassed. Misty was one heck of a good friend. So were May and Dawn. It was too much for me to bear…

I leaned against the wall and continued to pour all the tears – the tears that I never fought out ever since I was with Misty and Brock. I deeply felt everything I could for Misty – and I thought I was too late.

"Please don't take Misty," I pleaded silently as tears continued rolling down my face. "Please…"

Because I would never know if this was the second that everything would just go backward…

WHAT WILL ASH DO NEXT?

* * *

Next chapter on Winner Takes Ash: Under the Showers

When we dream, we become desperate to look for its reality – but if silence just flows within it, there's nothing to be discovered. Instead we end up in a completely unfamiliar place – it's in a realm between our consciousness and our dreams. It feels.

Silence – in my mind, in my soul, in my mind…

In my mind… fear

In my mind… love

…

"I heard there's going to be a meteor shower tonight," the first one spoke.

"True," the second one replied, "they said it's just outside the city."

"Oh," said the first one, "so that explains why the sun is so hot today."

…

After ten minutes I was about to fall asleep when I jolted from a sharp voice saying, "Hey! How do you want for a battle?"

I looked up and flinched. It was Dawn.

It took her a few seconds to realize who she was talking to. "Ash," Dawn wonderingly spoke, "what are you doing here?"

…

"Ash," Dawn spoke gently, "you're very good in this stuff."

I blinked in embarrassment. "It was nothing," I told her.

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Existing chapters:**

**Prologue – The Pokemon Masters**

**Chapter 1 – Face-Off**

**Chapter 2 – Bedside and Beyond**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

The reason why I rated this story as T is because of love scenes which will appear in many of the following chapters. Please be advised that these scenes will be very vivid and may be quite disturbing. If you're a kid or an immature person, find another story. But I believe you are all mature people. LOL…

The author himself has never been into a romantic experience, so I would like to ask some suggestions from the readers what to do with Ash. I'll try to update on the poll as soon as possible… thanks, Pokémon readers and fans!

Oh, if you remember the title, "Winner Takes Ash" because you've seen this title here in the same website, I am also "ImJustInLovewith3Girlz" because that's my penname before I started writing for other stories. Thanks again!

**The author does not own Pokémon, Nintendo, or GameFreak. The author owns Winner Takes Ash, Pokémon Pearl, and Pokémon Diamond.**

**PowerZone**


	5. Ch3: Under the Showers

**CHAPTER 3: UNDER THE SHOWERS**

Meeting up with an old friend won't be just a hello and goodbye greeting, it will be more that for Ash...

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 1) "May," I called, "w-what happened?"

It almost became clear – the ambulance!

"It – it's very bad," May answered worriedly, "she – she got electrocuted by her own Gyarados just twenty minutes ago! It was bad – we're afraid she might not make it."

(Chapter 2) Brock turned to me and said, "Speaking of Gallade, what happened to Dawn, Ash?"

What, I left her upset?

"Um, uh, she's on a journey here in the region," I told them nervously. I didn't want them to find out about everything.

(Chapter 1) "H-hello," I said the moment I pressed the answer button, "M-Misty?"

Nobody replied.

"Hello," I answered again.

Nobody still replied.

"Misty," I said, my voice rising, "why are you calling me?"

"Ash," the worried voice of Misty answered, "I – I can't sleep."

It hit me like a Remoraid's Aurora Beam on my head.

"Please," Misty answered, "I need you here. I can't stand leaving you."

It really hit me – like a Steelix using Double Edge.

"What are you talking about," I called.

"Come back," Misty sobbed through her Pokégear. I assumed she was crying already. "I miss you very much – I miss us."

* * *

**STORY PROPER:**

**Before you start reading, let me warn you that the scenes in this chapter is rated 'T' and should not, I repeat, NOT taken seriously.**

Silence – in my mind, in my soul, in my mind…

A strong repeating beating sound – somewhere in my heart, contracting and expanding…

Dreams erupt in my head – with laughing voices of Misty, me, and Pikachu, while spending the rest of our lives in paradise – dreams which also led me to voices of fear, rejection, pain, and – torment.

Torment then joy, regret then passion, fear and then hope – then silence, somewhere in the middle; silence that led me somewhere in a place I didn't know.

When we dream, we become desperate to look for its reality – but if silence just flows within it, there's nothing to be discovered. Instead we end up in a completely unfamiliar place – it's in a realm between our consciousness and our dreams. It feels.

Silence – in my mind, in my soul, in my mind…

In my mind… fear

In my mind… love

"Ash…"

In my mind… when I'm turning away from everything to be with her…

Misty's speaking in my mind.

"Wake up, you have to see this."

I got to my senses and found myself on the couch inside Misty's hospital room. I sat up. The first thing I saw was the clock. It showed nine twenty-eight in the morning. Brock was on my bedside; Pikachu was sitting on my abdomen; Tracey and May were on Misty's bedside. And on Misty's bed, Misty herself was sitting up. her long orange hair swayed with the morning breeze coming in from the window from outside. Her cerulean eyes glowed when I caught her sight. I was overjoyed to see her awake. This was no dream. I went over to her slowly and welcomed her with an embrace.

"Misty," I whispered in her ear.

"A-Ash," she whispered back and returned the embrace.

We released the hug. I was happy she was alive. She seemed to be the most cheerful among all of us – even Pikachu was happy as it leapt on Misty's shoulder.

"Hello Pikachu," Misty greeted cheerfully, "it's been long!"

"Pika – pika-chu!"

Minutes later, visitors started swarming in to greet Misty and wish her speedy recoveries. They also brought get-well gifts and letters. Her doctor came in to check on her and concluded, "Misty will be fine, but she needs to stay in the hospital for a few three days for her to recover." He also added, "We must ensure that the aftershocks will not do any more harm to her circulation."

I didn't want to talk to the visitors for fear of swarming to greet the champion. Thankfully, none of them seemed to have noticed me except for a guy who asked me if he knew me from somewhere. When most of the visitors were gone – including Brock, who went back to Pewter City to handle the gym, and may, who decided to go with Brock and then check up on her little brother, Max, who served as Professor Oak's junior assistant – Tracey, Pikachu, Misty, and I were the ones left in the room. Tracey went to a corner, took out a sketchpad, and began drawing.

"Ash, come here," I heard Misty whisper. I went over to her. She made a gesture to close the curtains, so I did. Both of us were hidden from Tracey and Pikachu, who was on the window and feeling the morning breeze.

"What is it," I asked.

"Shh," she hushed, "I want to talk."

I breathed mildly and raised my eyebrows.

"Is Team Rocket still bothering you," she whispered.

"No, no, no," I answered. "Um, they finally gave up. Come to think of it, the last time we met, we were at the Sinnoh championships. They tried to make another sneak attack at Pikachu, but their plans were foiled by…"

"Uh, nevermind," Misty interrupted. "That wasn't what I wanted to talk about."

She looked away for a while trying to remember what she wanted to say. For some reason, her silence made me wonder if it had anything to do with the championships. Later, I realized I had given Misty the slip when I mentioned about the Sinnoh championships. I became frightened. Misty had seen the championships, and I didn't realize that she would be watching it – while I had to step up to the top and live on camera.

"I wanted to talk about us," she finally spoke. She cleared her throat and then hissed, "Who was that girl who kissed you at the end of the championships?" I stood frozen as Misty continued hissing. "You know that was the craziest stunt you could've ever imagined – right in front of the camera!"

I tried to calm her down and tell her everything, but she continued hissing.

"You know I realize that maybe I should be a little less sentimental and a little more aggressive."

"You were almost always like hat," I slipped those words from my mouth.

"Hmph," she grumbled, "I could've smashed you anyway."

I felt guilty when I stood in front of Misty. Only a few months ago, Dawn seemed to always enlighten my day as a champion. It took her kiss for me to realize that Misty was missing. If she hadn't done that, I would've left everything behind in search of greater dreams. Misty was flushed in worry, and it took her quite a while for her to say something.

"Ash, how much am I special to you?"

I thought a Breloom hit my stomach with a Mach Punch.

"You're a very special person, Misty," I told her encouragingly. "But all this hard decision in my head is making me confused. I don't know who I can pick out for a date. And I was also thinking…"

I said nothing for a while. I couldn't express my emotions. Not now, maybe later – this was not the right place and not the right time.

"Could you wait until you are fully recovered," I asked Misty.

"I can."

I embraced her as hard as I could. "Have a speedy recovery," I told her. "I'll come back to the gym when you are fully recovered. Right now, maybe I'll head back to Pallet Town to visit home." It felt impossible to release ourselves because it placed me in paradise. I didn't know, but only I knew after it, that Misty planted a soft kiss on my cheek.

"See you again," I said to Misty as I got out from the curtains. I walked over to Tracey and Pikachu.

Tracey was finishing sketching of what seemed to be a flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto.

"Pikachu," I said to Pikachu, "we're leaving." Pikachu leapt down from the window then hopped onto my shoulder. "We'll be back as soon as Misty recovers," I told Tracey. Tracey looked up and nodded with a grin. I left Misty's hospital room and went out of the hospital.

* * *

I decided not to head back to Pallet Town at this time of day because of the heat of the sun. I had a fresh morning in the Cerulean gym. Misty's sisters were training in the arena. They also invited me in the session. I only had three Pokémon with me: Pikachu, Heracross, and Noctowl, the three Pokémon that were with me in the Sinnoh region after the championships. In the training session, I was able to smoothen Heracross's Megahorn, Brick Break, Aerial Ace, Close Combat, and Stone Edge. Noctowl's set of moves were also doing well: Psychic, Hypnosis, and Future Sight. Pikachu's electric and other attacks were also doing great with Volt Tackle, Thunder Wave, Discharge, Iron Tail, and Charge Beam. It was a great session; my Pokémon smoothened their moves well.

That afternoon the heat was so intense that it was impossible for me to travel at this time. In the Pokémon Center, I overheard a very interesting conversation.

"I heard there's going to be a meteor shower tonight," the first one spoke.

"True," the second one replied, "they said it's just outside the city."

"Oh," said the first one, "so that explains why the sun is so hot today."

The feeling of watching the meteor shower tonight made me realize the things that I missed. To find those things – I had to do them alone. I had Nurse Joy heal my Pokémon and give me some information about tonight's shower. I bade her goodbye, left the Pokémon Center, and went into a restaurant for an afternoon snack.

After a yummy snack, I paid the bill – then Pikachu and I proceeded to the Cerulean City outskirts. I looked for the path that would take me to Viridian City without crossing the forest. I found it and started walking along it. Pikachu was getting tired so I let it rest in my bag. Its head popped out between the zippers.

When the sun had set and the moon started rising, Cerulean City was already ten miles behind me. Pallet Town was still another twenty to thirty miles ahead. I was tired from walking, so I sat on a rock and drew all the air I needed. Perhaps I might not reach Pallet Town from here tonight. While sitting on that rock, I deeply thought about the region. It had changed so much while I had traveled in the other regions. Probably, the other regions introduced themselves to one another and started bringing in their Pokémon. Brock had said, "I used to believe that there were only a hundred and fifty different species of Pokémon until we discovered Togepi." Misty's Togepi made me realize that there were other kinds of Pokémon in other regions. Now a lot had changed since I last saw the Kanto region.

* * *

"_How many times you've hurt me, so many times you've fooled me,_

_But you're doing it again…_

_So many times we've spent in, too many lives we've been in,_

_You'll be doing it again…_"

After ten minutes I was about to fall asleep when I jolted from a sharp voice saying, "Hey! How do you want for a battle?"

I looked up and flinched. It was Dawn.

It took her a few seconds to realize who she was talking to. "Ash," Dawn wonderingly spoke, "what are you doing here?"

I fell to the conclusion that Dawn mistook me for some other trainer since I wore a different set of clothes and she didn't spot my bag that contained the sleeping Pikachu. I stood up to face her.

"I'm heading back to Pallet Town to visit mom and Professor Oak," I replied. "You were asking for a battle, right?"

"Uh," Dawn replied, "nevermind. I mistook you for some other trainer."

I was starting to sense something.

'What Pokémon do you have now," I asked her.

Dawn took three Pokéballs and threw them into the air. They popped open and three Pokémon came out and appeared before me: Bulbasaur, Venonat, and Poliwag.

"You got the Bulbasaur from Professor Oak right," I asked Dawn.

"Yup," she replied. "I also caught this Poliwag outside Viridian City. Then, I caught Venonat right after I caught Poliwag. So far, I've won three battles today."

I nodded. Dawn returned her Pokémon back to their Pokéballs.

"Hey," Dawn told me. "I know one spot where we can watch the meteor shower tonight. Venonat found a strategic location just a few distances ahead here."

I got my bag quietly and went with Dawn. (I think Dawn heard of the meteor shower from Nurse Joy in Viridian City.)

* * *

"_With you, the nights have fallen, the lights are on and off again_

_Is there a chance that you won't die – won't die with me tonight…_"

Somewhere in the path, we tailed from the road and went down a smaller path. After a few meters, we arrived at a small clearing. Beyond the clearing was a breathtaking view of a beautiful meadow. There were a few Pokémon playing around in the field – most of the Pokémon were bug-type and grass-type. Seeing myself with Dawn made me embarrassed and nervous. I put my bag down, opened it, and took out Pikachu.

"Shh," I hused Dawn, "Pikachu's had a very tiring day." Dawn nodded.

I wrapped Pikachu in my towel and stuffed it back to my bag.

It was already nighttime, and the moon glowed brighter. We were waiting for the meteor shower to appear.

* * *

"_Like a shooting star, to where you are – are we too late, am I too soon?_

_You'll make it through, you've gone too far… will you ever be my star?_"

"Hey Dawn," I said, "do you wish when you see a shooting star?"

She looked at me and said, "Uh huh."

"What do you usually think of?"

It took Dawn some time before she could answer. "I don't know," then she giggled and winked and said, "maybe someone special."

I thought a Poliwrath hit my stomach with a Brick Break. "O-kay," I said quite a bit nervous from the way Dawn said that. As I watched the full moon overhead, I began wondering deeply. Am I special to Dawn? I don't have a clue. But surprisingly, she took my hand and leaned her head on my shoulder.

"Ash," Dawn spoke as we continued sky gazing for the shower, "have you ever been in love?"

I felt stupid.

"Sometimes," I answered, "but I'm not really sure if I can get over it." We said nothing for a while then I asked something that gave me away, "How about you?"

"Dummy," she said and she giggled, "what do you think I'm doing…"

"Dawn…"

* * *

"_I'm holding on to nothing, no reason worth for living –_

_I'm calling out to you…_

_If it's the only way to keep you, then I don't have to break you – _

_I'm losing grip again…_"

The meteor shower started commencing. One by one, shooting stars flashed across the sky. The view was breathtaking as Dawn and I watched the meteor shower. I looked back a bit and saw Pikachu sitting on a small rock and looking up at the trail of countless stars. I suddenly noticed that Dawn was getting closer and closer.

"Hey, um, Dawn," I spoke silently, "you're too – close."

In a split second, she wrapped her arms around me. I was stunned, but I also had this tempting feeling to do the same. Dawn was charming, I had to admit. I felt that she was trying to hypnotize me. The aura tonight was so relaxing and romantic. I couldn't think of any alternatives, so I sincerely embraced Dawn. It was so warm – just like the nightmare I had when I was still in the Sinnoh region.

The meteor shower was over in a few seconds, but the meteor shower in me kept going on.

* * *

"_With you, the nights have fallen, the lights are on and off again_

_Is there a chance that you won't die – won't die with me tonight…_"

We released ourselves from the embrace.

This time we were ready for something else – something so immense and heavenly that I couldn't explain it. The full moon's bright light gave way between us and we drew our heads closer for the kiss.

The last time Dawn kissed me, there was no meaning. It woke me up from the training days and shifted my attention to another girl. But tonight, here with Dawn – our relationship seemed to bring about something. Dawn's eyes were kind and sincere, her face so beautiful, and her hair so smooth while it swayed in the mild breeze. I gently smiled as we went closer and closer. I was prepared – I was going to do it.

We closed our eyes to prevent ourselves from getting excited. We erased all concerns and distractions.

* * *

"_Like a shooting star, to where you are – are we too late, am I too soon?_

_You'll make it through, you've gone too far… will you ever be my star?_

_You're a shooting star, to where you are – are we too late, am I too soon?_

_You'll make it through, you've gone too far… will you ever be my star?_

_Will you ever be my star…?_"

Our lips slightly touched: Dawn's lips were soft upon the first touch. Be a man, Ash! I felt sure of myself and took control. I let go of everything, got myself together, and forcefully gave in. Oh man, it was a splendid and a genuine kiss! We played with the kiss as we had our lips and tongues move around and intertwine with the other. The kiss was so warm that I almost forgot everything while we were doing so.

We released ourselves from the kiss after a few seconds.

"Ash," Dawn spoke gently, "you're very good in this stuff."

I blinked in embarrassment. "It was nothing," I told her.

It took her a few seconds before she could saw something. "Ash," she said, "I – I," she stopped for a moment. For a while, I detected something in her eyes. I couldn't explain what was happening to her. The meteor shower inside me suddenly stopped. She couldn't say it straight. I didn't know why but her eyes seemed to have – fear.

I guess switching the topic was the best way to get everything out. So we released from the hug and sat down on the ground.

"Where were you headed anyway," I asked her.

"Pewter City," she replied. "I was going to challenge the gym leader to earn my first badge." She sighed for a bit and said, "Well, I guess it's late and I do remember about you saying about going back to Pallet Town."

"Yeah," I answered. "So?"

"Can I stay tonight at your house?"

I didn't hesitate. "Sure," I replied.

"And while I'm in your house," Dawn added, "I'd like to have a battle."

I doubted it. "But you only Bulbasaur, Poliwag, and Venonat with you." Dawn was confident.

"I still have five other Pokémon in my bag – for safety purposes."

I grinned. "Should it be a three-on-three? A four-on-four? Or a six-on-six?"

Dawn yawned and said, "I'll think about it."

We stood up, got our things, and left the site. I checked my Pokétch. It showed forty-five minutes past seven in the evening. I made a few calculations with my fingers on how long it would take us to Pallet Town. "Maybe I'll visit Professor Oak tomorrow, it's already late," I thought. We were walking down the path under the full moon.

By ten in the evening, we arrived at Pallet Town.

"Welcome back," I whispered to myself. "It's good to be back home."

* * *

"_You're walking away… I'll be seeing you – through a satellite…_

_If you go, then I'm walking away…_"

WHAT IS THIS FEAR?

* * *

Next chapter on Winner Takes Ash: Pallet Lessons and Dreams

"Ash, you should know that there are times when you need to train your Pokémon. When you have trained your Pokémon enough that you overuse them and when they cause you a problem, the first and best choice is to release them."

…

"But if you look in the brighter side of things, you will suddenly imagine that someone in a bush or under a tree is a newer opportunity and dream that will help you realize. It has the kind of power that makes an aspiring Pokémon trainer go for the "more" in them. And to do that, the trainer needs companions, both his or her friends and the Pokémon they cherish. The brighter side of things will take you to a new level – and your time had passed when you became the Sinnoh champion…"

…

"Professor," I said, "what's your perception of – of love?"

Professor Oak jolted mildly and looked at me with a confused expression, "Why speak to me of love, Ash?"

"Well," I spoke, "it's too hard to explain, but should every trainer consider love as unnecessary? I mean the love not for the Pokémon, but for – well, you know."

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Existing chapters:**

**Prologue – The Pokemon Masters**

**Chapter 1 – Face-Off**

**Chapter 2 – Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3 – Under the Showers**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

I deeply apologize for those who wanted advanceshipping or Pokeshipping, because I used Pearlshipping in this chapter. I know how you will feel: "Man, this author's dumb!" or maybe, "Stay away from this story!" or anything negative you can throw at me. BUT PLEASE! The title is Winner Takes Ash, and its purpose is for Ash to find a suitable partner for him in life.

Which means THERE WILL BE advanceshipping and Pokeshipping, I promise you! Wait for the next chapters, and your patience will be rewarded.

Oh, and if you're wondering about the ones in italics, those are the lyrics taken from my favorite band, Hale. The title is "Shooting Star." Many of you won't know who "Hale" is… that's because Hale is a Filipino band, and I'm from the Philippines…

Anyway, please send in the polls because if you don't – then the story might never end. Thanks for reading, and it will be great if you read and review.

**The author does not own Pokémon, Nintendo, or GameFreak. The author owns Winner Takes Ash, Pokémon Pearl, and Pokémon Diamond.**

**PowerZone**


	6. Ch4: Pallet Lessons and Dreams

**CHAPTER 4: PALLET LESSONS AND DREAMS**

Back in his hometown, Ash will realize that not everything he has done has done him good just yet...

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 3) "See you again," I said to Misty as I got out from the curtains. I walked over to Tracey and Pikachu.

Tracey was finishing sketching of what seemed to be a flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto.

"Pikachu," I said to Pikachu, "we're leaving." Pikachu leapt down from the window then hopped onto my shoulder. "We'll be back as soon as Misty recovers," I told Tracey. Tracey looked up and nodded with a grin. I left Misty's hospital room and went out of the hospital.

(Chapter 1) "Well, it's about Misty…"

Dawn blinked.

"I don't really like to tell it, but I'm just here to visit her and mom, and maybe Brock," I said, while doing my best to paste an ironic grin on my face. But even if I didn't mention how things were going, Dawn interpreted everything.

"You sure do have sentiments for her." To my horror, she started crying.

* * *

**STORY PROPER:**

"Well," I said to Dawn, "here's my home. It's not the home for a champion, but mom likes things neat and simple."

We went in silently to avoid any trouble of waking mom, if she was even in the house. I closed the gate behind me and we went to the door. I didn't knock on the door but tried to turn the knob. The door was locked.

"Ash," Dawn said to me quietly, "there's a note in your mailbox."

She handed me the note; I took it, unfolded, and read it. After reading, I looked up and frowned. "Mom's in Saffron City with her Mr. Mime. She's attending a conference about my future expectations."

"Now what," dawn asked rather sleepily, "I'm both hungry and sleepy."

"Don't worry," I said to Dawn, "mom always leaves some leftovers. I'll see if the back door's open. Otherwise, we'll have to camp outside."

I crept silently to the back of the house while Dawn and Pikachu followed. I reached for the doorknob, held it, and tried to turn it. The door was unlocked.

"Finally," Dawn whispered impatiently. I opened the door and we went in.

The kitchen and the living room were partially lit. Not much had changed since I left the house to start on my Sinnoh journey. There was nothing on the kitchen table and on the dining room table. Dawn put down her bag on the living room couch, while Pikachu rested on one of the living room chairs. I opened the refrigerator and saw slices of ham on a plate. They were still fresh but cold.

"I'll have this heated," I said to myself as I took out the plate of ham from the fridge. "I'll also cook rice for the both of us."

I prepared dinner while Dawn arranged herself in the living room mirror. When the dinner was ready, I called Dawn and Pikachu for dinner. We ate in the dining room. Pikachu also had its Pokétreats.

By the time we finished dinner, we put our dishes on the sink. Dawn took care of them while I brough Dawn's and my bag to my room. The hallway to my room was dark. When I entered my room, I switched on the lights and put the two bags on the floor. The first thing I noticed that there were a number of Pokéballs along with a note on my bed. I went over to my bed and looked at the note.

_Here are some of your Pokémon that you should reconsider before going anywhere, Ash. Some of these Pokémon learned new moves. It was a remarkable improvement while you were in the Sinnoh League. In short, all these Pokémon miss their trainer so much, so I decided to have them sent to your house. Bulbasaur decided to stay for a while to keep the peace in the laboratory as things recently had become a bit too painful. Lastly, congratulations on the Sinnoh League; I heard that the Elites and the gym leaders are giving you a post on either choice._

_Prof. Samuel Oak_

Dawn entered the room not a long while later and saw all the Pokéballs on my bed. She was astonished to find so many of them.

"These are your Pokémon," she asked in amazement.

"Well yeah," I replied and I suddenly remembered something. "You challenged me earlier right? So what are the rules?"

Dawn suddenly remembered. "Oh yeah. I'd like it a three-on-three with no time limit and only one substitution. You should see what I had when you were gone."

"I'm ready," I said to her – clenching my fist as if Dawn was a gym leader, "I won't go easy on you."

* * *

We had the battle on my yard the following day right after we finished breakfast. I was able to sort the Pokéballs and pick two of them – I was going to use Pikachu for the third one. The yard was ideal and wide for a Pokémon battle. In one side I stood, and Dawn on the other.

"Ready," the both of us said.

* * *

**The battle will not be explained in detail. Only the final moments of each round will be placed.**

"Lopunny," Dawn called and pointed a finger, "Focus Punch on Torkoal's underside!"

Lopunny dashed forward and bent down low so that its ears would make a fierce punch on Torkoal's underside.

"Brace yourself, Torkoal," I called.

The Focus Punch hit Torkoal and Torkoal was hurled up in the air.

"Use Flamethrower and keep on spinning," I called.

'Wha…?"

Torkoal, in midair, spun faster vertically and used Flamethrower. The maneuver made it look like Torkoal was using Flame Wheel, a move that Torkoal cannot learn. The result of a maneuver was a Torkoal in full throttle.

"Lopunny," Dawn called, "get away from there!"

It was a critical mistake. The moment Lopunny looked up, the sun reflected on Torkoal's flame and blinded it. It was my chance to finish the first round.

"Body Slam," I called, "and bring some firepower into it!"

Torkoal descended to the ground with its four feet open and slammed Lopunny – the impact plus fire did critical damage. When Torkoal got off, Lopunny fainted. Dawn returned her Lopunny and took out her next Pokémon.

…

"Torkoal," I called, "Heat Wave, now!"

Although Empoleon's Bubblebeam was aimed for Torkoal, I made sure that the Heat Wave would do something. It encircled all the bubbles and weakened its firepower. The Heat Wave hit Empoleon squarely in the chest.

"Hydro Pump," Dawn called.

Empoleon stood its ground and fired a Hydro Pump attack.

"Iron Defense," I called. Torkoal withdrew itself in the shell. The Hydro Pump did very little damage.

Dawn acted fast. "Empoleon," she called, "Metal Claw on its underside."

The reaction was quick – Empoleon dashed forward and used Metal Claw on Torkoal's underside.

"What the…?"

Torkoal was hurled up in the air.

"Now use another Hydro Pump" Dawn called.

Empoleon's Hydro Pump hit Torkoal in mid-air. Torkoal crashed to the ground behind me and fainted. I returned it and gave it a good show. I was ready to bring out my next Pokémon.

…

"Grotle," I called, "Razor Leaf now!"

Grotle shot out streams of Razor Leaf from its back and sent it straight for Empoleon.

"Metal Claw," Dawn called. She was using the move defensively. Empoleon's Metal Claw deflected all the Razor Leaf.

"_It's no good,_" I thought bitterly, "_If I'm going to defeat Empoleon, I have to risk it._"

"Grotle," I called for the next move, "Razor Leaf once more and head straight for Empoleon!"

Grotle inched closer to Empoleon as it shot Razor Leaf attacks. Dawn continued to use the Metal Claw attack defensively. And when Grotle was close enough…

"Now side-jump!"

Dawn made her next move, "Oh yeah, you jump too Empoleon!"

Empoleon leapt up in the air, but Dawn made a critical mistake. I told Grotle to jump on its side. The result, Grotle was below Empoleon.

"What the heck…?"

"Razor Leaf," I called, "full power!"

Grotle's Razor Leaf did the job and the attack hit Empoleon. Empoleon was tossed into the air with every force done by the Razor Leaf. I remembered well that this was the tactic I used to defeat the Oreburgh City gym leader, Roark. But something else was going on…

"Empoleon," Dawn called, "Ice Beam!"

Even while Empoleon was critically injured, it still managed to fire its last attack – Ice Beam. Unfortunately, the attack found its mark and Grotle became frozen. Empoleon landed to the ground and fainted. I called both sides a loss and Dawn agreed.

It took a little while for Grotle to be thawed out, and then we continued the match.

…

We were using our last Pokémon and they were both weak. Dawn's Ambipom and my Pikachu were gasping for breath. We knew that it would only take one more attack to decide on the winner.

"Ambipom," Dawn called, "Focus Punch!"

"Pikachu," I called, "Volt Tackle!"

The two attacks met each other in the middle and resorted in a mild explosion. Both Ambipom and Pikachu recoiled from the damage. But since Volt Tackle added self-inflicted damage, and Focus Punch paralyzed Ambipom, I knew it already.

Both Pokémon fell to the ground and fainted.

...

So neither of us won nor lost.

"Oh well," I sighed and approached Pikachu. "I guess that's the outcome."

"Yeah," Dawn panted, tired from the intensity of the battle, "at least it's fair square."

Pikachu and Ambipom recovered and Dawn returned Ambipom to its Pokéball, while Pikachu leapt up to my shoulder. I shook Dawn's hand and said, "You've got a powerful team there. I do admit – they surprised me."

"Um, yeah," Dawn said back. "Your tactics were well executed. I was surprised as well."

* * *

We slept with each other cramped in my bed that night. When Dawn was fast asleep, I seemed to be wondering about her. Apparently, she was quite too close. She was embracing me and my arm was around her head, which was leaning on the left part of my chest. Pikachu was snuggled between the two of us and was also sleeping comfortably. The lights were off, my lamp was on, and the night breeze fanned us. I looked outside for a while and saw the starry sky – just like the one last night. I wondered if there were any more regions to explore. Before I closed my eyes, I smiled at myself for being both the Pokémon champion and the proud boyfriend of Pokémon Coordinator Dawn.

"Goodnight Dawn," I whispered, kissed her softly on the cheek, moved her closer, and embraced her with my other arm. "Goodnight Pikachu, pleasant dreams to the both of you."

* * *

After breakfast, the next morning, I gathered all my Pokéballs to a small meadow near my home.

"Come out everyone," I threw all the Pokéballs into the air and they all popped open. The first thing I knew was that I was surrounded with hugs and cries of joy from my Pokémon. They all missed me so much.

"I – missed – you – too – guys, now get – off me," I struggled as Muk gave me a joyful Body Slam and Bayleef was trying to take over. After they let me pass, I wiped myself and looked at them. When they got to themselves, the Pokémon checked and eyed each other warily. They were almost unfamiliar with each other. I decided to have roll call.

After the roll call… "Listen up," I called, "there's one thing you can do while you're here…" I pointed to the meadow and said, "Playtime!"

The scene was cheerful. While the light breeze passed by to cool everyone, all of my Pokémon were playing. Pikachu, Totodile, and Cyndaquil were running around the place as if they were playing tag. Noctowl, Heracross, Swellow, Gliscor and Staraptor were having some sort of race in the air. Bayleef, Torkoal, and Donphan were having some sort of race around the garden. From a nearby tree, Sceptile rested on top of a branch and overlooked the others – of course, Sceptile was the bodyguard. Muk, Glalie, and Tauros were doing some sort of practice battle – they used their moves carefully. Snorlax was snoozing in the middle of the place. Kingler was doing some sort of bubbly effect on the air. Donphan was happily chewing on the grass. Monferno and Floatzel were resting on the tree where Sceptile was. Meanwhile, Corphish didn't want to play, so it just stood beside me.

"You don't want to play," I asked Corphish.

Corphish eyed me and tugged my pants.

"Hello again Ash," said a voice behind me. "Won't you mind showing me what you've got there?"

I turned around and saw Professor Oak. He was watching from a distance.

"Hey professor," I greeted her and carried Corphish in my hands. "How's it been?"

"It's been very well," Professor Oak said.

I looked at the Pokémon and suddenly noticed some things missing in the picture. "Where's Charizard and Squirtle?"

"Oh right," Professor Oak said, "Charizard's doing very well in the Chariffic Valley. I heard it's learned Blast Burn and Overheat. Squirtle's doing great in the squad. And I've heard that it evolved into a Wartortle!"

Wow, Squirtle finally evolved!

"What's Blast Burn?"

Professor Oak looked at the Pokémon and said, "Blast Burn is Charizard's most powerful fire attack. It releases a very strong firestorm that literally burns and crisps everything within its range. After Charizard uses it, its energy decreases that's why Charizard needs time to recharge."

I thought of the picture.

"Anyway," he continued, "another friend decided to tag along." He took out a Pokéball and opened it.

"Bulbasaur!"

Bulbasaur, when it saw me, leapt up to give me a hug.

"How are you doing," I asked, extremely overjoyed.

"Bulba," it replied happily.

"Your Bulbasaur also learned a new move," Professor Oak said. I was excited to hear the name of the move. "It's called Frenzy Plant. The only mystery I've been trying to figure out is how Bulbasaur was able to learn it, since only a Venusaur learns it. Perhaps, Bulbasaur's power even surpasses that of its final evolution stage."

I looked down at my Bulbasaur that was looking at me with a grin. Bulbasaur nodded and joined the others in the meadow. I recalled the Frenzy Plant move when I was traveling in the Hoenn region.

"Bulbasaur learned this move when the laboratory went wild once," Professor Oak explained. "Since Bulbasaur's the peacekeeper, I encouraged it to quell the fighting. Razor Leaf and Solarbeam did no good. Bulbasaur became so angry that it released a tremendous plant power of vines and stunned everyone."

He looked at all my Pokémon that were playing and continued, "Looking at your well-trained Pokémon everything while you were on your Sinnoh journey made me realize that everything does not last forever. I will pass someday, and you will too." He gave me a valuable lesson. "Ash, you should know that there are times when you need to train your Pokémon. When you have trained your Pokémon enough that you overuse them and when they cause you a problem, the first and best choice is to release them."

"Just look at your Butterfree, Pidgeot, Primeape, and the other Pokémon you've released," he continued as he sat down beside me. "You made them very successful and had them endure all the guts of a Pokémon trainer. You released them because of their greater purpose. "But if you look in the brighter side of things, you will suddenly imagine that someone in a bush or under a tree is a newer opportunity and dream that will help you realize. It has the kind of power that makes an aspiring Pokémon trainer go for the "more" in them. And to do that, the trainer needs companions, both his or her friends and the Pokémon they cherish. The brighter side of things will take you to a new level – and your time had passed when you became the Sinnoh champion…"

I put all those words into my heart. There were a lot to extract and remember – all my friends, my Pokémon, my dreams, the people I've met, the adventures, the memories… Professor Oak just made me realize that there is an actual end of dreams but there is no actual ending of opportunities. I felt that the people I've met formed a part of shaping my inner self. I was able to see who I really was in them. But there was still something missing.

"Professor," I said, "what's your perception of – of love?"

Professor Oak jolted mildly and looked at me with a confused expression, "Why speak to me of love, Ash?"

"Well," I spoke, "it's too hard to explain, but should every trainer consider love as unnecessary? I mean the love not for the Pokémon, but for – well, you know."

"Actually," Professor Oak said as he looked back, "there's nothing wrong in that. In any way, love does not interfere in training. Why ask me of love? Does someone have a crush on you?"

"Professor," I said to him nervously, "somebody loves me now."

"Oh," he said with a interested tone, "who?"

"Dawn."

"Dawn?"

"Yes Professor," I admitted. I couldn't believe I was sharing a secret with a world-renowned professor! "Dawn, she's hooked on me wherever I go – you probably saw what happened in the Sinnoh championships. And a few nights ago – we watched the meteor showed and – and it all happened."

'What happened," he asked innocently.

"We kissed."

"Kissed?"

"Yes professor," I admitted again with stupidity bubbling in my mind, "we kissed."

"I don't really know about this," Professor Oak spoke politely. "But of course, love is one of the human experiences – and even Pokémon experience love." I remember Sceptile's heartache over a Meganium. He whispered, "Just don't keep love as a hindrance. That's probably the only tip I can give you."

"Thanks Professor," I thanked him.

"Well," Professor Oak said and he stood up. "I gotta go, Ash. I heard there's going to be a research in Auraspark Island. The natives said that a Zapdos recently arrived on the island."

For the rest of the afternoon, I took the time to see the moves and combinations. They were still good and some made improvements. I called it a day and returned all the Pokémon into their Pokéballs. Though it was a bit teary for me to do it, of course they wouldn't fit under one roof!

By the end of the day, Dawn was getting ready with her things.

"Ash," she said, "I'll be leaving first thing tomorrow morning. I'm off to Pewter City for my first badge."

It reminded me that I'd be going to Cerulean City tomorrow to see Misty.

"I'll go with you," I said. "I remember about visiting Misty. But I'll watch your gym battle, too."

"Great," she agreed. "Well, let's get rested."

And that night, we were gentler with each other. I had the sensational feeling that Dawn was loving me more by the second. Dawn slept beside me in my bed with her head on my left shoulder and my left arm bracing her. Pikachu was snuggled between the two of us again. Dawn and I struck up a conversation about Pokémon. Minutes later, we slept.

HOW WOULD DAWN DO IN HER GYM BATTLE?

FIND OUT SOON, BUT FIRST…

* * *

Next chapter in Winner Takes Ash: Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience

"Misty," Tracey said, "I'm sensing something."

"What is it Tracey," Misty asked.

"Did you let Gyarados learn Thunderbolt on purpose," Tracey asked.

Misty couldn't answer the question. She seemed to be hiding something that even her sisters do not know.

"Misty," Violet spoke, "I think you're hiding something. Why don't you spill it?"

…

"Gyarados," Misty called, "slam Feraligatr into the vortex."

Gyarados's tail was just in front of Feraligatr. It used its tail to slam Feraligatr into the vortex. Feraligatr was caught and it spun around and around.

"Now swim up and hit Feraligatr with Thunderbolt," Misty called.

At the same time Brock reacted, "MISTY, YOU'RE MAKING A FATAL MISTAKE!!"

…

"Misty," Daisy called, "what are you doing?"

"Get out," Brock called.

'Watch out Misty," Tracey called.

"I WON'T," Misty cried out, "I'LL DO IT – FOR MY…"

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Existing chapters:**

**Prologue – The Pokemon Masters**

**Chapter 1 – Face-Off**

**Chapter 2 – Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3 – Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4 – Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

This chapter was revised to undo the storyline error spotted (thanks a bunch, lpride21!). Anyway, just read on to the events that transpired that caused Misty's accident. Wish you the best everyone!

**The author does not own Pokémon, Nintendo, or GameFreak. The author owns Winner Takes Ash, Pokémon Pearl, and Pokémon Diamond.**

**PowerZone**


	7. Ch5: Before Misty Was Injured

**CHAPTER 5: BEFORE MISTY WAS INJURED AND HER NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE**

If fate could come across herself, Misty would probably have the opportunity to do so...

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 3) "You got the Bulbasaur from Professor Oak right," I asked Dawn.

"Yup," she replied. "I also caught this Poliwag outside Viridian City. Then, I caught Venonat right after I caught Poliwag. So far, I've won three battles today."

I nodded. Dawn returned her Pokémon back to their Pokéballs.

(Chapter 4) "It's been very well," Professor Oak said.

I looked at the Pokémon and suddenly noticed some things missing in the picture. "Where's Charizard and Squirtle?"

"Oh right," Professor Oak said, "Charizard's doing very well in the Chariffic Valley. I heard it's learned Blast Burn and Overheat. Squirtle's doing great in the squad. And I've heard that it evolved into a Wartortle!"

Wow, Squirtle finally evolved!

(Prologue) Everything fell into place.

All the memories came back.

All the pains vanished.

Only a feeling of sensation filled my veins.

Thirty seconds of reflection took me to realize that she was trying to tell me all along from the very start. She didn't have to say it in words – she only needed one move.

One move was enough.

"Is that what you were trying to tell me earlier before my championship match," I asked her.

Dawn blushed and looked down. "Yes," she said weakly.

* * *

**STORY PROPER:**

**Five days ago…**

The whole story wouldn't be complete without looking at what happened to Misty when she was electrified by her own Pokémon.

"You'll be great Misty," Brock said to the Cerulean gym leader as she prepared for the upcoming gym battle, which would be the next day.

Earlier that day, a young trainer named Tom came to the gym and challenged Misty to a gym battle. Misty was not around since she was in the Cerulean bay reminiscing the sea and the ocean Pokémon. Also, her Pokémon that day were fit for any battle.

That night, Brock prepared dinner for everyone: Misty, Tracey, and Misty's sisters: Lily, Daisy, and Violet. When they were halfway through the dinner, Tracey struck a conversation with Misty.

"So, have you decided what to use against Tom in tomorrow's gym battle," Tracey asked.

"Not yet really," Misty answered. "I know it's a three-on-three, so I'll use maybe Wingull, Staryu or Vaporeon, and Starmie or Gyarados."

"You're making things a lot too tough for the challenger," Brock remarked.

"Well, I'm the gym leader," Misty spoke haughtily. "I'm the one who picks my Pokémon."

"That seems to be a good roster," Lily remarked. "What moves do your Pokémon have anyway?"

"The usual," Misty replied, "but for Gyarados, I made it learn Thunderbolt."

"THUNDERBOLT," everyone said, surprised.

"Um, that's not a good idea after all," Lily took her statement back, "you know that the field is a pool, and if you happen to get wet, you'll be shocked."

"I don't care," Misty said irritatingly, "I'm the gym leader and Gyarados is my Pokémon – much as I love water Pokémon, much as I take my pride as the Cerulean gym leader."

"Okay," Brock said slowly, "Misty's become too eager. Let's continue with the dinner then we can talk things tonight in the living room.

By the end of dinner Brock took care of the dishes while the rest went to the living room to have a forum about Misty's upcoming gym battle. For some reason, Tracey noticed something – something that made Misty completely different from her sisters.

"Misty," Tracey said, "I'm sensing something."

"What is it Tracey," Misty asked.

"Did you let Gyarados learn Thunderbolt on purpose," Tracey asked.

Misty couldn't answer the question. She seemed to be hiding something that even her sisters do not know.

"Misty," Violet spoke, "I think you're hiding something. Why don't you spill it?"

"Uh," Misty started to talk but Brock, who appeared in the living room for news, cut in.

"I just found out something," he said. "They said that Ash is aboard the S.S. Whirlpool on the way back to the Kanto region. Probably he's going to have a reunion in Pallet Town. No wonder Ash became so popular everywhere after winning the Sinnoh League."

"Wow," Lily said to Misty, "did you hear that? Your boyfriend's coming back!"

"Who said anything about Ash as my boyfriend," Misty leered at her sister and everyone laughed.

"Chill out everyone," Brock spoke. "He'll be arriving in Pallet Town in a few days. Maybe after Misty's gym battle, we can all go to Pallet Town to visit him."

Everyone cheered.

"Now let's all have a relaxing night," Violet announced. "Misty, you better cool yourself and relax for tomorrow's battle. You'll need the energy for it."

Everyone ended the forum and went to their rooms. While Misty was washing up in her bathroom, she looked at the mirror and thought of something. Her reflection seemed to be thinking of nothing. "_The reason why Ash is coming back is because I asked him to…_"

_"H-hello, M-Misty?"_

_"Hello?"_

_"Misty, why are you calling me?"_

_"Ash, I – I can't sleep."_

_"Please, I need you here. I can't stand leaving you."_

_"What are you talking about?"_

_"Come back, I miss you very much – I miss us."_

_"Misty, don't you worry. I'll be there soon."_

_"Ash…"_

Misty then admitted in a low voice, "I did let Gyarados learn Thunderbolt on purpose. I planned everything ever since it did. I can't stand it anymore." She put herself on her knees and said weakly, "I need you – Ash."

A silent tear fell out from her left eye.

* * *

It was the gym battle and Misty had been on a disadvantage in the first round. Her Wingull lose the first gym match to Tom's Krabby, which used Hyper Beam after it disoriented Wingull by latching it into its pincer and hurling it around. She sent out her Vaporeon to face it. Misty focused first on freezing both of the platforms. It was a good strategy since Krabby's ranged moves worked better over water and moved quicker on land. Now Krabby and Vaporeon were underwater and were eyeing each other warily.

"Krabby," Tom called, "Hyper Beam!"

"Vaporeon," Misty called, "Ice Beam!"

Krabby's Hyper Beam fired underwater looked like a laser with a bubble jet. Vaporeon then fired its Ice Beam that went straight for Krabby. Unfortunately, the Hyper Beam broke through the Ice Beam and hit Vaporeon. It still managed to stand its position and endure the hit.

"Vaporeon," Misty called, "counter with Aurora Beam!"

Vaporeon released a colored aurora beam and pushed the hyper Beam back. They were trying to push into their targets. Suddenly, something occurred. It seemed as if the two attack absorbed each other and lost their focus – sending their mixed power to both of the Pokémon. Vaporeon and Krabby took double damage from their own and each other's attacks.

When both Pokémon surfaced, they had fainted.

"Krabby and Vaporeon are unable to battle," Daisy announced.

"Brock," Tracey wondered, "what happened down there?"

"Something called 'split-power' happened," Brock answered after a little thinking. "I've seen what it can do. Two ranged attacks like Hyper Beam and Aurora Beam can sometimes absorb the other's power when they come in contact for a few seconds. When this happens, the attacks can lose their direction and track to the Pokémon that fired the shot."

"So both Krabby and Vaporeon took Hyper Beam and Aurora Damage?"

"I guess so," Brock said.

"Go Quagsire," Tom called. His Pokéball popped open and Quagsire came out.

"I'm counting on you," Misty called and threw in her final Pokémon, "I choose you, Gyarados!"

The Pokéball popped open and Gyarados, the atrocious Pokémon, surfaced from the water. The ability called Intimidate froze Quagsire as it quailed in fright.

"Don't let it scare you," Tom called. "Use Iron Tail!"

Quagsire leapt up from the water and charged at Gyarados, tail-first.

"Gyarados," Misty called, "Hydro Pump!"

Gyarados's Hydro Pump reached Quagsire as the water ejected full blast upon it. Quagsire flipped into the water. When it surfaced, it fainted.

"No way," Tom was shocked, "one hit?"

"Quagsire is unable to battle," Daisy announced.

"I can't explain why Gyarados defeated Quagsire in one hit," Brock muttered.

Tom returned Quagsire into its Pokéball and took out his final one. He threw it into the pool. The Pokéball popped open and out came Feraligatr, the final evolution of Totodile. It surfaced from the water with a roar.

"Come at Gyarados," Tom called.

Feraligatr swam through the water and charged for Gyarados.

"Stop it with you tail," Misty called. Gyarados motioned its tail upward and descended it on the approaching Feraligatr, but Tom reacted quickly.

"Grab the tail Feraligatr!"

Before Gyarados's tail could slam Feraligatr, the big jaw Pokémon slowed down then grabbed the incoming tail.

"Good," Tom called, "now hurl it underwater!"

"Tom's using the same strategy like Krabby did to Wingull," Brock muttered. "Only this time, let's letting Feraligatr do this underwater and he's doing it in a larger scale." In the battlefield, Feraligatr held the tail tight and whirled it around. Gyarados became disoriented, just like Wingull.

"Now throw it up in the air," Tom called.

"Snap out of it Gyarados," Misty called.

Feraligatr hurled Gyarados upwards and released its tail. Gyarados was airborne.

"Mega Punch," Tom called. Feraligatr leapt out of the water and got ready for a Mega Punch attack. Just as Feraligatr locked on Gyarados, Gyarados snapped out of confusion.

"Good," Misty called, "now stop the Mega Punch with Thunderbolt!"

"Thunderbolt?"

Gyarados opened its mouth and released a strong surge of electric energy. Feraligatr was electrified and splashed back into the water. But it still stayed on. "I never knew a Gyarados could learn an electric move," Tom muttered. "I should've known this would come."

"Oh yeah," Misty spoke with a grin on her face," now dive underwater and get ready for a spin." Gyarados splashed back into the water.

At this point, Brock sensed something. He stood up to get ready.

"Feraligatr," Tom called, "go after Gyarados and grab its body!"

Feraligatr went underwater and chased Gyarados. Gyarados swam faster in a circle while Feraligatr gained on its tail. Every second passed the two water Pokémon swam faster, everyone soon got the picture. Gyarados was attempting to make a whirlpool and push Feraligatr into the vortex. When Gyarados was encircling underwater fast enough, the vortex became more powerful that Feraligatr had to inch itself away from the vortex to avoid being caught in it.

"Gyarados," Misty called, "slam Feraligatr into the vortex."

Gyarados's tail was just in front of Feraligatr. It used its tail to slam Feraligatr into the vortex. Feraligatr was caught and it spun around and around.

"Now swim up and hit Feraligatr with Thunderbolt," Misty called.

At the same time Brock reacted, "MISTY, YOU'RE MAKING A FATAL MISTAKE!!"

Too late – Gyarados eventually surfaced and got itself caught in its own vortex. Since Misty told it to use Thunderbolt, Gyarados exerted a strong electric charge. The arena was filled with havoc. One after another Thunderbolt charges came out from Gyarados scattered everyone. One weak charge almost hit Brock. A mild charge nearly hit Daisy, the referee. Another strong charge hit the water just a few inches away from Tom. And a very strong and a long charge went for Misty. Just as the vortex started to weaken, so did Feraligatr snapped out of confusion and went for Gyarados. But another electric charge came out from Gyarados and electrified Feraligatr. But in Misty's platform, she herself faced the incoming lightning demon. "Give it all your power!"

"Misty," Daisy called, "what are you doing?"

"Get out," Brock called.

'Watch out Misty," Tracey called.

"I WON'T," Misty cried out, "I'LL DO IT – FOR MY…"

The electric charge hit Misty and knocked her back. It was so strong that it electrified all of her body systems. When the thunder was finished, she shut down. It was as if everything suddenly went slow-motion and it took ten seconds for Misty to stay airborne before hitting the water.

"Ash…"

* * *

Silence… the cold… the loneliness…

...

"Where am I?"

Everything seemed as if – all hope was just taken away.

...

"You're with me."

"Who – who's that?"

Misty's vision suddenly opened. She was in a different place. Everything around her was surrounded with a white fog. But even so, she could see a familiar figure in front of her. "_Is this a dream,_" Misty thought. The figure suddenly approached Misty. Although Misty realized who it was, the figure didn't seem to be wanted to reveal itself.

"A-Ash," Misty turned to him. It was only him – no Pikachu, no Pokémon – only the two of them were in the thick fog. "Wh-what am I doing here?"

The figure turned its head upward and looked straight at Misty.

"You are close to death," the real-like figure of Ash answered gloomily.

"M-Me?"

Ash nodded. "Yes. I will do everything to put you back. I am not dead – I am only a fragment in your imagination… for in dreams – it's where pictures come to life."

The whole scenery suddenly changed – this time from a fog into a meadow. The meadow almost seemed familiar – it was the exact place where Ash, Misty, and Brock parted ways.

"Do you remember this place," Ash asked.

"Yeah," Misty said as she looked around the place. Everything almost became so vivid. She had kept that memory so close to her heart it was as if she was finally able to lock it in forever. "Why are we here?"

Ash looked at Misty and said, "Because there was one thing I really want to tell you."

"What is it you wanted to tell me," Misty asked.

"It's kinda hard to start," Ash spoke. "Maybe because I wanted to tell you how much you meant to me… only that times were too occupied because of the preoccupied dreams. The travels we had together in the past – I learned a lot from them and placed them to good use. Now Misty, I'm taking this time to tell you – how much you mean to me – to my life."

Misty felt numb.

"What about it," Misty wondered and Ash chuckled.

"Misty," Ash spoke, "it's simple. Don't be so innocent."

Misty still drew a question mark over herself.

"Lots of times we fall and lots of times and add one we stand up," Ash philosophized. "It's the way life goes for everyone – including the both of us." He took Misty's hand and continued, "And such locked emotions won't be the same if we're not there to really express." He pointed at Misty's heart with his free hand. "And we can read what's inside… And they're saying the words that have connected me and you all this time – the words that I never fail to whisper to myself – the words that ultimately captured of what is to be done." He drew in some air and whispered, "If you love me, will you let me go?"

Misty looked at Ash with such beady eyes that tears started falling out. Ash had never loved anyone this way, but the way he expressed his emotions really stung Misty's heart.

"Ash," she said, "if only this were real – then I wanted to tell you how I feel the same way for you."

Ash nodded.

"Well," Misty started, "it's also simple. I missed you everyday. I'm starting to have a track of losses in battles, get lost halfway in my thoughts, and get angry with my sisters, my Pokémon, and myself. But now that I'm here with you…" she sobbed and swiftly moved in to embrace him tightly and said, "Don't go, Ash, please…"

Ash looked down at her and comforted her. "Misty," he said, "do not be too dependent on me. Follow your own track and you'll be fine."

The two of them released each other from the hug and Ash started to walk back into the horizon.

"Where are you going, Ash?"

The ghastly figure looked back at Misty and said, "Turn back, Misty. We can't go there yet."

"Ash," Misty could only make up one soft word. Tears continued to flow down her cheeks.

"Yes Misty, I know," he said tenderly, "I love you – goodbye."

Misty's vision faded. She wanted the paradise to be real – but she gave complete faith in herself and realized that everything was just a dream. She found herself back in the pitch-black silence. And then she thought no more and became unconscious in her own dream.

Bitter ironies – the fantasies of reality and the actualities of visions… These were all too familiar for Misty to figure out…

WHAT DID IT MEAN?

* * *

Next chapter on Winner Takes Ash: Forest and Poisons

"Ash," she spoke, "I know you're insensitive to the feelings of people when you get irritated."

"You were just too hard," I told her slowly. "Maybe it's the tension of facing Brock today. Don't get in a breakdown now."

…

Nothing had happened whatsoever during our first twenty minutes into the forest. Dawn was holding tightly on my left arm. It seemed that she was imaging scary things in the forest.

"What Pokémon are in here," Dawn asked shakily.

"Just some wary Kakuna, very aggressive Beedrill, and other territory-protective Pokémon," I told Dawn. The next thing I knew, Dawn clutched tighter onto my arm. Maybe I did scare her.

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Existing chapters:**

**Prologue – The Pokemon Masters**

**Chapter 1 – Face-Off**

**Chapter 2 – Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3 – Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4 – Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

**Chapter 5 – Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

As of August 10, 2008… here are the partial results of the poll: Misty – 11 votes, May – 14 votes, Dawn – 7 votes, another girl – 4 votes… thanks for sending in the votes!

I wonder why May and Misty get the top picks…

Thanks to three of my friends, codenames PlagueShower, 123LastHit321, and NotSoOrdinaryNoob, for making contributions to my story… and thanks to you guys who read and those who read and reviewed (and those who wanted to throw grudges in this story secretly)…

The poll still continues… will Dawn and Misty be able to catch up, or will your premonitions of Advanceshipping come true in the end?

**The author does not own Pokémon, Nintendo, or GameFreak. The author owns Winner Takes Ash, Pokémon Pearl, and Pokémon Diamond.**

**PowerZone**


	8. Ch6: Forest and Poisons

**CHAPTER 6: FOREST AND POISONS**

Coming back to a familiar place won't be new for Ash, but he's not about to witness the most unexpected one...

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 5) "Lots of times we fall and lots of times and add one we stand up," Ash philosophized. "It's the way life goes for everyone – including the both of us." He took Misty's hand and continued, "And such locked emotions won't be the same if we're not there to really express." He pointed at Misty's heart with his free hand. "And we can read what's inside… And they're saying the words that have connected me and you all this time – the words that I never fail to whisper to myself – the words that ultimately captured of what is to be done." He drew in some air and whispered, "If you love me, will you let me go?"

(Chapter 2) Brock shared a bit of information about Kirlia. "If I remember well, the Kirlia we met last time in the Sinnoh region evolved into a Gallade using a Dawn Stone, right? And the Kirlia in the Hoenn region evolved by a Gardevoir by itself, right?"

"Yeah," May said, "I remember."

(Chapter 4) "Hello again Ash," said a voice behind me. "Won't you mind showing me what you've got there?"

I turned around and saw Professor Oak. He was watching from a distance.

"Hey professor," I greeted her and carried Corphish in my hands. "How's it been?"

"It's been very well," Professor Oak said.

* * *

**STORY PROPER:**

"Hey Ash," Dawn called impatiently from the living room, "hurry up there!"

"Wait," I called back. I was still gathering my Pokéballs and choosing the six I would take with me on the next steps. Pikachu, Staraptor, and Corphish. The other three would have to be decided later in Professor Oak's laboratory. I placed the remaining Pokéballs in my bag, got my bag, and went to the living room, where a Dawn with arms folded and an impatient look was waiting.

"How long did that have to take," Dawn complained.

"It's just that I have more Pokémon that you have," I said to her.

"Anyway," Dawn said irritatingly, "which six Pokémon did you choose?"

"I only chose Corphish, Staraptor, and Pikachu," I told her. "Well, I'll decide on the other three when we get to Professor Oak's laboratory."

"What are we doing there," Dawn snapped.

"Hey," I snapped back, "you can't carry all your Pokémon with you, you know."

"Oh," she spoke, "I forgot. You're supposed to have only six Pokémon with you." Then she glared at me and yelled, "SO WHY DON'T YOU JUST PICK YOUR THREE OTHER POKéMON THEN LEAVE THE REST HERE, AND TELL PROFESSOR OAK TO FETCH THE REMAINING ONES HERE?"

I yelled back, "BECAUSE HE DOES NOT HAVE TIME WITH THAT – HE'S A BUSY MAN AND WE WON'T DARE WASTE TIME JUST PICKING UP SOME POKéBALLS."

"THEN WHY NOT LET YOUR MOTHER DO IT?"

"HEY, I DON'T WANT ALL MY POKéMON TO BE MADE OFF WITH A ROBBER!"

We looked at each other for a while. Pikachu was trying to stop us from complaining any further. Suddenly, Dawn looked down and started crying.

"Ash," she spoke, "I know you're insensitive to the feelings of people when you get irritated."

"You were just too hard," I told her slowly. "Maybe it's the tension of facing Brock today. Don't get in a breakdown now."

I slowly walked over to Dawn and gave her a warm hug to forget all our anger and tensions. Dawn got back to herself and returned the hug with an embrace.

"Dawn," I said kindly, "I know you're excited about today, but let's do what we can. Let's head to Professor Oak's laboratory first, okay? Then we can travel to Pewter City together."

Dawn nodded silently, then we released each other.

"Let's go," she said.

We went out of the house to the direction of Professor Oak's laboratory, which was just outside Pallet Town. I had the whole place locked and secure from any unwelcome necessities.

* * *

It was a slow walk, but we arrived in Professor Oak's laboratory twenty minutes later. Nobody seemed to be inside so I called out if anyone was there. The only person who responded to my call was a ten or eleven-year old who wore an orange shirt and knickerbockers, the two which were shielded with a small laboratory gown. The kid also wore sneakers and eyeglasses with circular spectacles. He was small, thin, and had black sleek hair.

"Oh, it's you, Ash," the kid seemed to recognize me, but I didn't seem to recognize him.

"Um, what do you think you're doing in Professor Oak's laboratory," I questioned him warily.

"You mean you don't recognize me anymore, Ash," the kid said to me.

I looked at him for a moment to try to find someone who knew me way before and resembled the kid standing in front of me. I suddenly realized who he was when I remembered May's purpose of leaving Misty's hospital room. The kid standing in front of me was no other than May's brother, Max!

"Max," I spoke suddenly, "it's – it's been so long!"

"I'm glad to have you remember me, Ash," Max said and he straightened his eyeglasses. "Anyway, about the question earlier, I'm Professor Oak's junior assistant. I'm staying here for a while as long as May's in the Kanto or the Johto region. What brought you here," then he looked at Dawn, "and who's she?"

I put down my bag and opened it. I took out the Pokéballs and lay them on the floor. I decided on the other three and took the Pokéballs of Sceptile, Torkoal, and Heracross.

Max went to a side of the reception room and took out a glass case. "You can deposit your remaining Pokémon in here." He went back to where Dawn, Pikachu, and I stood. I shrunk the size of the Pokéballs and placed them inside the glass case.

"They'll stay safe in there," Max said after I placed the last Pokéball inside. Then he looked at me and then at Dawn.

"Who's she," he asked, "I've never seen her anywhere."

Max, thought he may have grown taller and older and may have been Professor Oak's junior assistant, still had his ways to jumping to conclusions – shockingly. Before I could even introduce Dawn to her, Max blurted, "Ash, don't tell me – is he your – your girlfriend?"

"Well," I tried to stop him," I – I," but Max cut in.

"ASH HAS A GIRLFRIEND," Max yelled out and laughed hard. "HAHAHAHAA!!" Pikachu and I sweated.

"Stop it Max," Dawn suddenly spoke, "I'll just introduce myself. I'm Dawn, Ash's companion in the Sinnoh region."

Max stopped laughing and went back to himself. "Nice to meet you Dawn." Then he whispered to me, "Boy May's gonna be dead jealous when she hears you have a girlfriend!"

I lost control, "DAWN IS NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!"

"Okay, okay," Max sweated, "I was just relieve back those days. Now, where can I find a place to keep these safe?" Before Max went into the next room, he called, "Bye Ash, Dawn, and Pikachu."

We exited the laboratory and went to the direction of the woods to Viridian City, which is just a forty-five minute hike through the woods. Before we went deeper into the woods, Dawn asked, "Is it true Ash?"

I looked at Dawn and confirmed, "About the I'm not your girlfriend?" Dawn nodded.

"Well," I started, "I – I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know," Dawn asked momentarily.

"It's just that," I started, "it's too hard to answer. Dawn, I know you've been sweet with me and stuff – and – and that kiss… I don't know what to answer."

Dawn held my arm as we walked deeper into the woods.

"I still love you Ash," she admitted," even if _you don't love me._"

I could only blush.

* * *

We went through Viridian City without any trouble then we went down a small field before facing the entrance to the enormous Viridian Forest.

"To get to Pewter City," I said, "we must cross Viridian Forest, a treacherous maze of trees, grasses, and very aggressive bug and poison Pokémon."

Dawn looked at the immensity of the forest. It seemed to scare her a bit.

"Ash," Dawn suggested something, "can we just walk around its perimeter?"

"To tell you the truth," I said, "the path where we walked is also part of the forest, but it's the safer one. However, it'll lead us to Cerulean City. From Cerulean City, the only possible way to get to Pewter City is to go through Mt. Moon – and endure the sheer cold."

"The forest," she answered and without any more hesitations we stepped into the forest.

"I suggest we take out three of our Pokémon," I said, "for safety measures."

"Um, Ash," Dawn asked, "how did you make it through the forest unscathed for the first time?"

"Well, the forest back then was not as immense as the one now," I answered. "Things change – and we better get prepared." I pulled out two of my Pokémon – Torkoal and Staraptor. Dawn took out her Lopunny, Empoleon, and ABSOL! I looked at Dawn disbelievingly and squeaked, "Wh-where did y-you g-get th-that?"

"Right after the Sinnoh championships," Dawn boasted. The Absol looked at Dawn endearingly. The Absol Dawn caught seemed to have a kind-hearted nature and a protective nature.

We moved further into the forest.

Nothing had happened whatsoever during our first twenty minutes into the forest. Dawn was holding tightly on my left arm. It seemed that she was imaging scary things in the forest.

"What Pokémon are in here," Dawn asked shakily.

"Just some wary Kakuna, very aggressive Beedrill, and other territory-protective Pokémon," I told Dawn. The next thing I knew, Dawn clutched tighter onto my arm. Maybe I did scare her.

We passed by a colony of Kakuna hanging down from the trees. They were eyeing warily at us. We didn't want to pose any threat as we kept on walking. I had to keep my cool and not worry any dangers that might occur. I knew well that Absol could predict and forecast any incoming disaster. A few Beedrill showed up from the bushes. Dawn gave out a low shriek.

By the next fifteen minutes, all the worries became conscious and I had a new feeling – I think we were being watched.

"Dawn," I said to her, "you can embrace me as long as you want if you have the feeling that we're being watched."

Suddenly, her Absol reacted and sent out a Razor Wind attack to a nearby bush. Ten or eleven Beedrill suddenly sprouted out from them. The largest one was shiny and larger than the rest. It was also the fastest, the most powerful, and the most aggressive. All of my and Dawn's Pokémon stuck close to each other.

I had been practicing this technique with Staraptor and Pikachu for quite a while – and I hope it would work.

"Pikachu, Staraptor," I called them, "let's use combination move, Electronado!"

Electronado, or Electric Tornado, is an electric-flying corroboration move designed to trap a Pokémon. In the combination, the flying Pokémon makes use of Whirlwind attack and the electric Pokémon makes use of Volt Tackle or Quick Attack with Discharge. The two Pokémon then encircle the foe and go in opposite direction. Speed is essentially important to prevent the foe from escaping and to prevent the other Pokémon from interfering. When the wind starts to build up and the electricity starts to react with the wind, the circular motion of the wind plus the electric build-up charges go against each other and reverse the normal charges of the electricity. Therefore, the result is a swirling electrical net that completely traps the foe inside the tornado.

And there's something else besides that! Electricity that goes clockwise and wind that goes counter-clockwise lures the trapped one into the electrical net. Electricity that goes counter-clockwise and wind that goes clockwise lures those outside the net into it. And that's what Staraptor and Pikachu were doing. The counter-clockwise electricity and the clockwise wind would bring no damage to the ones inside the net – me, Dawn, and the other Pokémon inside it. But the directions would lure the Beedrill into the net.

Enough with the scientific mumbo-jumbo!

But anyway, the maneuver worked well and it managed to lure a few Beedrill into the net. But the shiny Beedrill was persistent. He commanded a few Beedrill to take on Pikachu. Although the Beedrill risked themselves to stopping the combination, Pikachu was hit and the maneuver stopped immediately.

"Grr," I grumbled. "I guess we have to take them head-on."

We got our Pokémon into position and faced the Beedrill colony.

* * *

...

It was tiring and grueling. We put all our skills to the test and battled fiercely to get out of the forest. We won in the end, but Pikachu, Absol, and Lopunny fainted in the middle of battle. Absol and Lopunny were critically injured, but Pikachu suffered from poison. We returned all our Pokémon into their Pokéballs. We rushed forward to the direction of Pewter City. We thought the forest would be endless, but we found light.

We ran to the end of the light and arrived at a field, beyond it were buildings and houses.

"I thought we'd never make it," I told Dawn as we kept running to Pewter City to have our Pokémon healed.

"Pikachu," I told my half-conscious buddy, "you'll make it. Don't worry."

The first thing we did in Pewter City was rush to the Pokémon Center. Thankfully, nobody was using Nurse Joy's service. We rushed to the counter where Nurse Joy and he Chansey were standing behind it.

"Nurse Joy," I panted, "we – need – healing."

"No problem," she spoke and got the healing machine ready. Dawn gave her three Pokéballs to Nurse Joy. I gave Staraptor's and Torkoal's Pokéballs and Pikachu to Chansey. Both of them started the healing process. While they were still with the process, Dawn dragged me to a corner of the Pokémon Center where we could not be seen easily.

"Ash," Dawn started as she wiped off her sweat, "thank you so much. That was so intense back there."

"No kidding," I told her, "that was a bit too easy."

Dawn giggled. "But our Pokémon still fainted. That was just a setback, that's all."

We stood there and looked at each other for a while for a matter of seconds. While looking at Dawn, I seemed to have thought to myself, "_Maybe – just maybe,_" but my thoughts were interrupted when Dawn swiftly gave in to a very tight embrace, in which her arms were wrapped around my neck and her head upon my right shoulder.

"Dawn…"  
I returned the embrace with my own, my arms around her torso. When Dawn lifted her head from my shoulder, I looked at her. We were looking at each other sweetly as if eternities would come back and not take our single moment of bliss away.

"Ash…"

I raised my eyebrows.

"I love you."

In a split-second, before I had the chance to tell her how I felt, she moved her head swiftly towards mine and we found ourselves kissing _fiercely_ than ever before. Our kiss moved with such passion and love we could never imagine. While our arms were intertwined with the other and us kissing to the max, we tenderly felt the soft and caressing emotion build-up within ourselves. Dawn just damn loves me even at a very young age! The kiss, the love, the passion, the intensity, the tenderness, I could feel the remote sense of extreme love.

It was over in a few seconds, but _I wanted more._

"Dawn," I told her, "I know how it felt when we were kissing."

"There was something that just popped out from my mind," she told me.

I looked at her once more and tried to say the words I never had said to Misty or May with all my heart into it, "Dawn, I l…"

But just as the letter came out from my mouth, we heard some collapsing tremor nearby us. Dawn and I broke immediately.

We looked to see what caused the collapsing tremor.

_It was May!_

IS THERE SOMETHING WITH MAY?

* * *

Next chapter on Winner Takes Ash: It's A Whole New Gym Leader

"MAY!"

I was so angry at her, more angry than the last time we were bickering with each other why May and I traveled to Fortree City.

"I never said I loved you," I sneered at her. "In all our travels in the Hoenn region, there was never a time that I thought of loving you. It was either you were crazy over me or you were just plain STUPID! Using that expression in front of her was a crazier stunt. Now get out of my way or I'll get you out of my life!"

Oh no, did I have to go too far…?

…

May shot a cold look and said, "Does it even have to trouble me, Ash? It's traumatizing me!"

"Why have you never told me," I asked her. "The fault lies in you."

May looked down and realized about what I said. "I didn't think – that – that you would agree with how I felt."

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Existing chapters:**

**Prologue – The Pokemon Masters**

**Chapter 1 – Face-Off**

**Chapter 2 – Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3 – Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4 – Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

**Chapter 5 – Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience**

**Chapter 6 – Forest and Poisons**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Pearlshippin' to the extreme!! Although we saw in the previous chapter about Pokéshipping. Too bad, no Advanceshipping yet… but I already planned five chapters for that! So just wait for the final shipping for Ash. I'll also include contestshipping in the later parts… Fasten your seatbelts everyone, for Dawn's gym battle against Brock!

Oh, there is a spoiler that appeared in the chapter: Dawn's Absol. I kinda wanted to spice the suspense a little bit, so I gave Dawn an Absol. Hey, after all, it's my story and I can put anything I can. I just avoid or minimize the spoilers anyway.

Another spoiler also appeared in the fourth chapter when Professor Oak said that Ash's Squirtle evolved into Wartortle – yup, a clear spoiler alright. I really had no reason why I wrote that, but I can't do anything about that one.

Anyway, thanks Pokémon fans and fanfic fans! Keep rolling in the polls, and I'll catch you later.

**The author does not own Pokémon, Nintendo, or GameFreak. The author owns Winner Takes Ash, Pokémon Pearl, and Pokémon Diamond.**

**PowerZone**


	9. Ch7: It's A Whole New Gym Leader

**CHAPTER 7: IT'S A WHOLE NEW GYM LEADER**

Should Ash take hold of someone else's anger when it starts to take hold of Ash?

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 2) "We knew that already," Brock interrupted. He stepped closer and placed a tap of comfort on my shoulder. "We read the letter, and we knew the whole situation."

Tracey nodded and said, "The whole strategy was planned… we knew from the very start."

"Wh-what," I boomed, "s-so Misty's electrocution was a-also part of the p-plan?"

"N-no," Tracey answered and he told me to keep my voice down, "I – I just found out beforehand about Misty's tactics. W-we stood ready, but we were seconds late to s-save Misty from drowning…"

(Chapter 6) "Oh, it's you, Ash," the kid seemed to recognize me, but I didn't seem to recognize him.

"Um, what do you think you're doing in Professor Oak's laboratory," I questioned him warily.

"You mean you don't recognize me anymore, Ash," the kid said to me.

(Chapter 6) "Ash," Dawn started as she wiped off her sweat, "thank you so much. That was so intense back there."

"No kidding," I told her, "that was a bit too easy."

Dawn giggled. "But our Pokémon still fainted. That was just a setback, that's all."

* * *

**STORY PROPER:**

May probably had fainted when she saw the both of us kissing each other back in the Pokémon Center. When we got our Pokémon from Nurse Joy, we helped May to an empty space with seats. There, we revived her. It was fortunate that she only fainted for a few ten minutes. Otherwise, it would have been worse.

"May," I started, "you fainted."

The first thing May did was look at me with horror and surprise. Next she became angry and started up.

"Hey," I said, "you shouldn't be up yet."

"I don't have to be cuddled some more by some insensitive person," May spoke angrily, me – insensitive? Something's definitely wrong.

"SO she's May," Dawn spoke with an emphasis on her 'so.'

"Hey," May snapped at her, "you're the coordinator from Sinnoh who traveled with Ash and Brock in the region – Dawn, if I'm not very much mistaken."

"Um," Dawn said as if she was recalling something from before, "I think we've met before."

The next thing I knew, May lost control, grabbed the shirt of Dawn, and hissed on her face, "You pulled a crazy stunt back there, you know. How could you ever steal Ash away from me." Then she pushed back Dawn and yelled, "HOW COULD YOU!"

"MAY!"

I was so angry at her, more angry than the last time we were bickering with each other why May and I traveled to Fortree City.

"I never said I loved you," I sneered at her. "In all our travels in the Hoenn region, there was never a time that I thought of loving you. It was either you were crazy over me or you were just plain STUPID! Using that expression in front of her was a crazier stunt. Now get out of my way or I'll get you out of my life!"

Oh no, did I have to go too far…?

May felt downhearted to see me at my limit.

"You – you don't," May asked softly.

"I don't," I answered slowly, "I never even did."

"Ash please," Dawn begged to stop our dispute, "please, just get this over with and settle everything."

"Everything's been settled already," I spoke fiercely without looking at her.

"What's the chill back there," said a voice behind May. We looked to see who it was. It was Brock. The moment May saw Brock, she went to Brock and sobbed at his chest. "Sounds like you had a terrible dispute with Ash." Then he said to me, "Ash, would you mind telling me what happened?"

Brock was the fatherly person among all of us. I told him everything what had happened minutes ago. When I reached the end of the discussion, Brock seemed shocked and Dawn fell silent. And I felt guilty. It was in this part that Brock noticed Dawn.

"Hello Dawn," he greeted her, "what brought you here?"

"Oh," she said, "I want to collect badges for a change."

"So I presume that you've come to challenge me," Brock said while he continued comforting the sobbing May. Dawn nodded slowly.

"Great," Brock spoke, "I didn't have a good challenger to challenge me for the Boulder Badge. And it turns out that this next challenger is my fellow companion!" Then he shot a somewhat cold and apologetic look at me and said, "Ash, you're putting too much in this. Please don't add to May's problems."

"May's had a problem," I spoke, rather confused.

"Yeah," Brock said, "her father, Norman, is awfully sick right now. Some say that the Petalburg City gym leader won't live for a few more months."

I was shocked. I didn't know May had problems arising from the family. May was still my friend – I couldn't just leave the both of us fighting each other for the rest of our lives.

"May," I started slowly, "I'm – I'm truly sorry. I – I didn't know you had this kind of problem. I – I hope you just accept my apology. Please may, we can sort everything out in the gym."

May lifted herself from Brock and looked at me. She seemed to have noticed how sorry I was, even thought the incident stung her to the heart. Maybe I was too harsh on both May and Dawn today. Or maybe I was problematic with myself. I still didn't forget that today would be the day I would see Misty again. Nurse Joy came to us and handed Pikachu back.

"Let's go to the gym to sort everything out," Brock said. "Dawn, you better get prepared."

* * *

We arrived at the Pewter City gym ten minutes later. Inside the gym, the arena seemed to have changed so much ever since I had battled Brock for the Boulder Badge. In the middle of the battlefield was a big crag of rocks and soil. There were no sidelines since the whole room was filled with rocks. Also, there were three capsules hanging overhead. They were probably protection from flying rocks for the gym leader, challenger, and the referee.

"Lots of things really did change," I spoke, awestruck at the gym's modifications. Even Pikachu, who delivered the final strike some eight or nine years ago could not forget the first gym victory.

"Those capsules are for the trainers and the referee," Brock told me and Dawn. "The Pewter City gym will have a bigger challenge right now." He looked at Dawn and said, "And there's something else we put – every ten minutes, a modified earthquake will erupt in the arena. Therefore, you must be careful. Well, this crag was also naturally made, so I decided to give it a shot."

I checked the ceiling. It seemed to be an ordinary one, except something was missing.

"So the water lines are gone," I said to him.

"That's how you defeated Brock using Pikachu," Dawn immediately spoke. "Somehow, there was a smoke that filled the room. The smoke activated the water lines and turned the advantage. You told me that you were battling a rock and ground type. The water soaked Brock's Pokémon, then Pikachu delivered the final shock!"

"Very well done," Brock said and he applauded.

"Impressive," May remarked.

We left the arena and went to Brock's preparation room. Brock left the room after we came in to check on things. Dawn also prepared herself for the gym battle. She seemed to have learned something from the Beedrill colony.

'So have you decided on what to pick," May asked Dawn. "Brock won't be really easy. He's already got a plan on how to resist grass and water moves.

"What's Brock's standard," Dawn asked.

"Normally," May answered, "Brock makes it a three-on-three with no time limit and no substitutions."

"No substitutions," Dawn wondered.

"Lots of things had changed in the past," May told her, "when they saw Ash's simplicity of gym battles, some gym battles decided on a no substitution rule to ensure a greater challenge."

Down looked at her roster and picked the three Pokémon she would be using.

"So what did you choose," I stepped forward to both of them and asked Dawn.

"I'll go with Empoleon, Absol, and…" then she suddenly paused and continued, "a Pokémon I wanted to surprise."

"Okay," I didn't give Dawn's thoughts a question, "well, good luck with the match."

May stepped forward. "Um, Dawn, I'm sorry about what happened back there…"

"Oh…?"

_"Hey," May snapped at her, "you're the coordinator from Sinnoh who traveled with Ash and Brock in the region – Dawn, if I'm not very much mistaken."_

_"Um," Dawn said as if she was recalling something from before, "I think we've met before."_

_The next thing I knew, May lost control, grabbed the shirt of Dawn, and hissed on her face, "You pulled a crazy stunt back there, you know. How could you ever steal Ash away from me." Then she pushed back Dawn and yelled, "HOW COULD YOU!"_

"Oh, about that," Dawn said. "I really kinda didn't take it seriously." She cleared her throat and said, "But really – it's okay May. We all feel that way when we're angry, so it's normal."

The whole arena was ready. Dawn was stationed inside one capsule while Brock was inside the other one. The referee, Brock's father, Flint, was stationed in the third capsule. May and I were in Brock's locker room since we couldn't watch the match since there were no sidelines. But let's see the match…

"The gym battle between the Pewter City gym battle Brock and the challenger Dawn from Twinleaf Town will now begin," Flint announced. "Each trainer will use three Pokémon. There will be no time limit and no substitutions, so choose wisely. Let the battle begin."

Brock threw his Poéeball first, but he didn't declare the Pokémon. He went to his microphone beside him and said, "Use Spikes attack!"

His Pokéball popped in mid-air. When the Pokéball popped open, spikes scattered all around Dawn's side. Next, Forretress came into view and landed on top of the crag. Dawn recorded the Forretress on her Pokédex and got ready for her first Pokémon.

"Absol go," Dawn threw the Pokéball beyond the crag. The Pokéball popped open and Absol came out. Absol landed on the other side of the battlefield and was not affected by the spikes.

"Forretress versus Absol," Flint declared, "begin!"

The capsules of Brock, Dawn, and Flint shut so that if any flying rocks came, they would be protected.

"Absol," Dawn called, "start off with Rock Slide!"

Absol hurled rocks at Forretress using its horn. When the rocks came for Forretress, Brock made his move, "Forretress, use Rapid Spin to return the rocks!"

Forretress withdrew in its shell and spun fast. The rocks that came in contact with Forretress's Rapids Spin attack rebounded and went for Absol.

"Dodge them Absol," Dawn called, "climb the crag with Agility and knock Forretress off the top of the crag!"

Absol dodged side to side the incoming rocks. When it came to the foot of the crag, Absol used Agility and knocked Forretress off the top with its horn.

"Iron Defense," Brock called.

Before Forretress could land twenty-five feet below, Forretress withdrew itself in its shell and stiffened its armor. The impact to the ground gave small damage to Forretress.

* * *

In the locker room…

"Ash," May started uneasily, "I can't believe this is happening."

"Does it trouble you," I asked her.

May shot a cold look and said, "Does it even have to trouble me, Ash? It's traumatizing me!"

"Why have you never told me," I asked her. "The fault lies in you."

May looked down and realized about what I said. "I didn't think – that – that you would agree with how I felt."

"Since when did that feeling start," I asked her calmly.

"Since – since we first met in Littleroot Town," she told me. I fell silent; was this love at first sight? But I seemed to have something else in mind.

"How about Drew?"

May sat up with a confused look and said, "Drew? What about him?"

"I remember you one night when we were traveling to Lilycove City," I said to her, "you were murmuring Drew's name in your sleep. Sounds like you're developing a heart for him, even though he's your rival."

May just chuckled.

* * *

After twenty minutes and two modified earthquakes (yet the Pokémon still stood their ground), the two Pokémon were battling fiercely – advantage wavered to Forretress then Absol then back to Forretress then back to Absol. The match was wither Forretress was too defensive or Absol's power was weakening from the minute.

"Forretress," Brock called, "Earthquake attack!"

Absol was positioned at the top of the crag behind the Spikes attack. Forretress leapt up in the air. This gave Dawn a chance.

"Razor Wind," Dawn called, "and give it a twist!"

When Forretress reached the maximum height of the jump, Absol used a Razor Wind attack and directed it like a boomerang. The Razor Wind hit Forretress and it directed it to the direction of the spikes. Forretress made a heavy landing on the spikes with the force of the Razor Wind. And if that wasn't enough – the third modified earthquake did the rest and Forretress fainted.

"Forretress is unable to battle," Flint declared. "Absol wins the round!"

Brock returned Forretress and got ready with his second Pokémon. He threw it to the direction of the spikes. "Come out, Aerodactyl!" The Pokéball popped open and the ancient Pokémon, Aerodactyl, came out. Since it was a rock and lying type Pokémon, the Spikes gave no effect to it, and the modified earthquake would do no harm as long at it stayed airborne.

"Aerodactyl," Brock called, "Aerial Ace!"

"Absol," Dawn called, "get ready!"

Since Aerial Ace was an unavoidable attack, Absol got hit from the impact. Absol was falling into the direction of the remaining spikes.

"Use Razor Wind to clear the Spikes," Dawn called. While Absol was falling, it directed a Razor Wind to the ground below it. The ground exploded and the Spikes were scattered. This made Absol land safely, but still suffered damage from the Aerial Ace attack. Dawn still remembered that there was another earthquake to come, so she needed to think carefully.

After the modified earthquake, Absol weakened. Then Brock took his chance. "Come at Absol! Use Giga Impact!"

"Rock Slide, hurry," Dawn declared.

But Absol was too weak to continue. The Rock Slide attack was not enough to stop Aerodactyl's incoming Giga Impact attack. Absol was hit with a tremendous amount of force that shook the whole arena. Absol fainted, but Brock paid the risk of Aerodactyl's losing a numerous amount of energy.

"Absol is unable to battle," Flint called.

Dawn returned Absol to its Pokéball and got ready for her second Pokémon. She threw it to the battlefield and called out, "Empoleon, time for battle!" The Pokeball popped open and Empoleon came out. Dawn knew that Empoleon would withstand Aerodactyl's Giga Imapct and other rock moves, but she also knew that Empoleon would suffer critical damage from the modified earthquake.

"Aerodactyl versus Empoleon," Flint declared, "begin!"

"Aerodactyl," Brock called, "Earthquake attack!"

Dawn thought fast. "Iron Defense!"

Empoleon defended itself while Aerodactyl maneuvered an Earthquake attack that shook the whole arena; the attack gave little damage to the defending Empoleon.

* * *

Back in the locker room…

"How about my bike," May said quite menacingly. I still remembered how her bike was destroyed, thanks to Pikachu and Team Rocket.

"I think Pikachu learned its lesson," I said. Pikachu scratched the back of its head. "Well, I did break three bikes – yours, Misty's and Dawn's."

"Wow," May spoke scathingly, "that's a record to boot, bike-breaker."

'Whatever," I spoke, "there's nothing we can do about your bike."

"But you know," May interrupted, "I think traveling with you guys was better than biking. After all, walking gives you more time to really appreciate the beauty of nature.

I smiled. Pikachu leapt down from my shoulder and started looking around.

"I just hope you get a new one," I said, concerned.

* * *

For fifteen minutes, Aerodactyl and Empoleon battled. Aerodactyl became offensive while Empoleon concentrated on its defense – a complete opposite of events from the first match. After fifteen minutes, Brock introduced another set of Aerodactyl's moves.

"Use Screech," Brock called.

"Break it with Steel Wing," Dawn called.

Aerodactyl made the first move, although Empoleon came head-on for a Steel Wing attack. The Screech attack was loud and horrible. Empoleon cancelled its attack and suffered defense loss and the shock wave of the Screech.

"Screech once more," Brock called.

"Hydro Pump," Dawn called.

Empoleon let out a powerful surge of water, while Aerodactyl shot out a second screech. The Hydro Pump and the visible Screech attack frequencies were pushing back the opposing attacks. When they reached their maximum power, both of the attacks exploded. Empoleon and Aerodactyl suffered the explosion impact, but they still stayed on.

"Aerodactyl," Brock called, "Ancientpower!"

Aerodactyl raised its wings and created a small tremor. Suddenly the rocks, from pebbles to huge stones, around Aerodactyl hovered in the air and encircled Aerodactyl.

"Fire away," Brock called.

The huge rocks made a huge dash for Empoleon. While the first batch of rocks sped for Empoleon, Brock called in for a second batch.

"Hydro Pump," Dawn called.

But the attack was cut short when the modified earthquake came in. Dawn completely forgot about the incoming one. Empoleon's Hydro Pump attack was cancelled, but since the rocks were mid-air, they managed to hit Empoleon. The second wave of rocks brought about the finishing damage, and Empoleon fainted.

"Empoleon is unable to battle," Flint called.

Dawn returned Empoleon to its Pokéball and got ready for her final one. She threw it to the battlefield and out came Feraligatr!

"Good choice," Brock called using his microphone, "just remember that that's your last Pokémon, so do well in this one."

"Aerodactyl versus Feraligatr," Flint declared, "begin!"

"Aerodactyl," Brock called, "Giga Impact!"

"Stand your ground, Feraligatr," Dawn called.

Aerodactyl came at Feraligatr head-on at intense speed.

"Mega Punch," Dawn called.

The timing was perfect – the Mega Punch was at its full power and it knocked off Aerodactyl's Giga Impact attack. It recoiled, but it did not give up yet.

"Use Hyper Beam," Brock called.

"You use Hydro Pump," Dawn called.

Aerodactyl launched a Hyper Beam attack. Feraligatr used Hydro Pump. The two attacks met in mid-air. However, the modified earthquake came in once again. The attacks were cancelled. Feraligatr suffered little damage, while Aerodactyl stayed airborne. After the earthquake, Dawn had an idea.

"Aerial Ace," Brock called. Aerodactyl swirled around in the air and dashed at Feraligatr.

"Rain Dance," Dawn called.

Feraligatr sent a blue ball to the ceiling. At the same time, Feraligatr was hit by the Aerial Ace. Nevertheless, the Rain Dance worked. It began raining inside the arena, and just a few moments later – the whole ground became muddy. Aerodactyl's power weakened in every drop that came.

"Feraligatr, finish it off with Water Pulse!"

Feraligatr let out a surge of water from its mouth, and the attack hit Aerodactyl squarely. Aerodactyl suffered major damage and collapsed to the ground. It fainted.

"Aerodactyl is unable to battle," Flint called.

Brock returned Aerodactyl to its Pokéball. Now both sides only had one Pokémon remaining.

"Dawn," Brock called through his microphone, "I would like to say it's been a great honor for you to challenge the Pewter City gym, but I'm afraid your tactics will be less useful when I send in my third Pokémon. Thanks for the muddy battlefield idea." He took out his final Pokémon and threw the Pokéball into the battlefield, "Let's rock and roll, Swampert!" The Pokéball opened and Swampert came out. Both final evolution water started faced each other in the battlefield.

"Swampert versus Feraligatr," Flint called, "let the final round begin!"

Upon the declaration of the first attacks, the two water Pokémon lashed at each other and drew the first punch that caused a tremor in the arena.

* * *

And in the locker room…

"So how about Drew," I said to her. "The moment I say his name, I notice that you get a bit uneasy. It seems to me that you have a crush on him."

"What makes you say that, Ash," May shot a cold look.

"Because both of you make a good couple," I spoke scathingly.

"Easy for you to say," May grumbled. "I think Drew's just plain annoying."

"Just tell me," I spoke to May, "do you have any feelings for him?"

"Well," May looked up and thought on my question, "I do have some feelings for him. I expressed them when we got to the Johto region."

"Then what did he do," I asked.

"he just – just," May tried to answer straight, "kissed me on the cheek and said that _he loved me as a rival and hated me as a friend._" I was completely stunned and amazed at this logic.

"So both of you actually made up," I said. "And is that paradox?"

"Well yes," May said shyly. She had a lot of things whirling in her mind right now. "He said that if we were fierce rivaling coordinators, we would be close with each other. But if we were more of friends or buddies, the complete opposite would happen."

"That's a bit funny," I remarked. "Well, there's a sense for you and Drew. But honestly, I think you're better off with Drew than me."

May just looked down and sighed.

* * *

Twenty-five minutes, two more modified earthquakes, and intense battling passed into the match and both Pokémon were wearing out. The battlefield hardly looked like a crag anymore. It more looked like a quarry of rocks and lots of mud. Feraligatr and Swampert's multiple tremors may have brought the crag down, and the Rain Dance eroded most of the rocks. The indoor rain had already passed.

"Feraligatr," Dawn called, "Mega Kick!"

"Dig underground," Brock called.

Feraligatr came at Swampert foot-first. Swampert suddenly scampered and dug a tunnel under itself. It went inside the tunnel and some mud seeped in. Feraligatr's Mega Kick missed.

"Feraligatr," Dawn called, "stand your ground and fire Hydro Pump on the area around you!"

Feraligatr exerted a water blast to the whole arena. Dawn used this strategy to detect Swampert's underground motions. Dawn looked closely to find any motions in the soil. She saw something move a few meters in front of Feraligatr.

"Mega Punch at the moving soil in front of you," Dawn called.

Feraligatr came forward to attempt a Mega Punch.

"Use your Mega Kick, Swampert!"

The Mega Punch hit the moving soil, but nothing happened. The next thing Feraligatr knew, it was hit by a surprise Mega Kick attack from behind.

"Huh," Dawn wondered, "how did that happen?"

"Decoy," Brock called, "Swampert used Double Team underground to create a decoy. It would distract both of you and Feraligatr." He looked down on Feraligatr, who fainted. "And it seems that this match is over."

"Feraligatr is unable to battle," Flint declared. "The winner of the match is the Pewter City gym leader, Brock!"

Dawn and Brock returned their Pokémon to their Pokéballs. Their capsules hovered down to the floor. Both of them exited their capsules and approached each other. Flint exited his capsule into the muddy ground.

"That was great," Brock said. "You surprised me with very good moves."

"Yeah," Dawn spoke, defeated, "you had good combinations."

"Listen Dawn," Brock gave an advice, "contest battles and gym battles are different from the way they look. But when you get into them, they almost seem similar. You just need to combine the essence of gym battles with contest battles. Combining both of them will give you a key to emerge victorious in both of them."

"Thanks Brock," Dawn thanked him, "I've just decided that I'll stop battling in gyms for a while. It was just worth trying."

"It's up to you," Brock said, "just holler me if you want a rematch for the Boulder Badge."

Both of them shook hands and made their way to the locker room. Before they left the arena, Brock called to his father, "Thanks pa!"

"No problem," his father answered, "we'll have a modification later."

When Brock and Dawn left the arena, Flint said to himself, "It's amazing they can turn a crag into dirt. There's going to be hard work later."

* * *

Brock and Dawn entered the locker room, where Pikachu, May, and I were still here. I asked about the results and Brock just said, "Dawn performed very well but came up a little too short." I seemed a bit crestfallen that Dawn was defeated, but she said to me, "You're the expert in gym battles. You should give me some training."

"Well," Brock said, "we're supposed to go to Cerulean City to see Misty again. I heard she's released from the hospital and is probably resting in her place."

I was excited to hear from Misty.

The four of us and Pikachu ate a late lunch (it was three in the afternoon) in Brock's house before we set for Cerulean City through Mt. Moon. We got ready with our things, and Brock and Dawn healed their Pokémon in the Pokémon Center. When their Pokémon were healed, Brock got back to his usual infatuation state and gracefully took hold of Nurse Joy's hand and started making a speech about love. Suddenly, Brock's Toxicroak just came from nowhere and made a poison jab. Brock was paralyzed and we all laughed.

The next hour, the five of us were outside Pewter City. We were heading for the next city. And in the Cerulean gym, I would see Misty once again.

ASH WILL RECEIVE A SURPRISING NEWS. WHAT WILL IT BE?

* * *

Next chapter on Winner Takes Ash: Brock's Flashback

"Brock," Dawn spoke puzzled, "what's got into you?"

"No way," Brock started and shook his head slowly. "This can't be happening."

The young woman looked at Brock with a rather confused and surprised look. Both of them seemed to know each other.

"Do you know this woman," May asked curiously.

"Yeah," Brock spoke with fear in his voice, "that's my – my ex-girlfriend, Gillian."

May's and Dawn's jaws dropped.

…

"There are a million things to worry," I told Misty.

"What do you mean," Misty asked me wonderingly.

"Hi Misty," Dawn stood up and spoke, "you may not have known me much, but I'm Dawn. About the question earlier – Brock seems to suffer a really terrible past involving the young woman outside."

Misty wondered about that, "What about Gillian?"

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Existing chapters:**

**Prologue – The Pokemon Masters**

**Chapter 1 – Face-Off**

**Chapter 2 – Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3 – Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4 – Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

**Chapter 5 – Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience**

**Chapter 6 – Forest and Poisons**

**Chapter 7 – It's A Whole New Gym Leader**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

You've probably seen the name of the OC in the preview of the next chapter. The name is actually once of my special friends, and she allowed me to put it. So I decided to make a little touch for Brock.

The next chapter will be about BrockxOC.

**The author does not own Pokémon, Nintendo, or GameFreak. The author owns Winner Takes Ash, Pokémon Pearl, and Pokémon Diamond.**

**PowerZone**


	10. Ch8: Brock's Flashback

**CHAPTER 8: BROCK'S FLASHBACK**

Can one memory alone relieve the heart of Brock?

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 5) "Do you remember this place," Ash asked.

"Yeah," Misty said as she looked around the place. Everything almost became so vivid. She had kept that memory so close to her heart it was as if she was finally able to lock it in forever. "Why are we here?"

Ash looked at Misty and said, "Because there was one thing I really want to tell you."

(Prologue) I put down the megaphone and stepped forward to face them. "The only indestructible thing here is all of us – all of us share the common bond we have with our Pokémon. We form and unite – they become our loyal partners, and we become their faithful trainers. This bond is one that will never break – it cannot separate even with the Pokémon we had parted long ago. If there is something that is ultimately weak, that should be you, Team Rocket!

(Chapter 6) It was over in a few seconds, but _I wanted more._

"Dawn," I told her, "I know how it felt when we were kissing."

"There was something that just popped out from my mind," she told me.

I looked at her once more and tried to say the words I never had said to Misty or May with all my heart into it, "Dawn, I l…"

* * *

**STORY PROPER:**

We arrived at Cerulean City some three hours later after passing the foothills of Mt. Moon. The weather in Mt. Moon was chilly. Thankfully, Brock used his Steelix to dig through the dead ends and smash obstacles in the way. Pikachu, Steelix, and Empoleon worked together with their steel moves to crush the rocks blocking our path. And now, we entered Cerulean City, the same as it was three days ago.

"Time to head to the gym to check up on Misty," Brock spoke.

We arrived in the Cerulean City gym twenty minutes after we arrived in the city. The Gyarados statues were exerting more water than before.

"Sounds like Misty's back in the business," I said excitedly and ran to the entrance with Pikachu at my pursuit.

When Pikachu and I entered, the first thing I saw was a young lady waiting by the reception desk, where no one was behind it.

May, Dawn, and Brock entered the gym and didn't find Misty anywhere.

"Is Misty here," Brock addressed the young lady.

The young lady turned around to face us. she was about Brock's age, had purple hair, blue eyes, a beautiful firm body and posture, and wore a confused look upon looking at us. She wore an ordinary black sleeveless shirt, a blue skirt that went down to her knees, and heels that went two inches off the ground. Brock would've normally switched to infatuation more by this time. However, even his Toxicroak, which just popped out of its Pokéball, could sense that something was really different.

"Hello," I called out, "are you here Misty?"

It was here when I suddenly noticed that everything behind me was silent. Pikachu tugged my pants and pointed to where May, Dawn, and Brock where. I looked behind and saw Brock staring at the young woman with his mouth half-wide-opened; May and Dawn also wanted to know what was going on with Brock.

"Brock," Dawn spoke puzzled, "what's got into you?"

"No way," Brock started and shook his head slowly. "This can't be happening."

The young woman looked at Brock with a rather confused and surprised look. Both of them seemed to know each other.

"Do you know this woman," May asked curiously.

"Yeah," Brock spoke with fear in his voice, "that's my – my ex-girlfriend, Gillian."

May's and Dawn's jaws dropped.

"Hello again Brock," the young lady spoke. She had a nice, sweet, and tender voice. "Surprised to see me here?"

"I thought – you – you," Brock tried to speak straight but found himself in a serious state of fear and confusion.

"A miracle did happen," Gillian said, "you may not have probably known, but I was saved by a Gyarados."

"Hey," I suggested, "let's talk this over in Misty's locker room." We arrived in her locker room. Misty wasn't there or were her three sisters. We sat on some chairs in the room and decided to open the forum about Brock.

"What was going on back there," I asked Brock, "I didn't get the whole point."

"Allow me to share my flashback," Brock spoke. "It all happened six years ago, when I started gym leader duty. I was training in Mt. Moon when I suddenly felt tremors from underneath…"

* * *

**Brock's Flashback (Part 1):**

"Onix," the seventeen year-old Brock was training in Mt. Moon to shape us his Pokémon for the coming gym battles, "Rock Throw on the targets!" The targets were bottles Brock had gathered while he made his way to the training spot. The targets were scattered across the training field. Onix slammed its tail on the ground and rocks leapt into the air. Onix used its tail to strike the airborne rocks and accurately hit the bottles. What were left of the bottles were mostly shards.

"Perfect timing," Brock spoke and Onix gave out a low roar, "that should shape you up for upcoming gym battles."

The two of them were making their way down Mt. Moon when they halted in the middle of the path. Somehow, there was a blockade in their way. Should be an easy job, Brock thought and he had Onix get ready for a Slam attack. Before Onix could lift its tail to crush the blockade, Brock suddenly felt a tremor underneath him. It came from beyond the blockade.

"Uh oh," Brock said to himself. He and his Onix suddenly turned around and ran. However, the blockade broke off with a blast and Brock and Onix found themselves lying on the ground.

"Are you okay Onix," Brock spoke to check on Onix. Onix seemed to be fine.

Brock then turned around to see what caused the blast. The one who created the blast was another Onix, a slightly smaller one than Brock's Onix. The trainer of the smaller Onix was a young and beautiful woman (whom in present we knew as Gillian). Brock's heart suddenly leapt up, but he became serious for a while.

"That was a blast," he said and stood up. Brock wiped himself off dirt, "really strong."

"Oh I'm sorry," the woman apologized. She had a nice and sweet voice. "Did my Onix hurt you?"

"Um, no," Brock shook his head and his Onix came to greet the smaller Onix (Brock's Onix is a male, the smaller one is a female), "not a major damage really done," Brock continued. "Well, I just finished shaping my Onix."

The woman giggled and said, "Nice to meet you, I'm Gillian."

"My name's Brock," Brock introduced himself and the both of them shook hands. "What brought you to Mt. Moon, Gillian? And for such a young and gorgeous woman like you, why do you have an Onix?"

Gillian looked at her Onix and said, "My Onix is also doing some training for its upcoming gym battle. Well, Onix was my first Pokémon, ever since I was thirteen." She paused for a while and then said, "Thanks for the compliment. I do appreciate it."

Brock insides leapt up, but he still did his best to remain serious in the conversation, "Who will you be coming up against?"

"The Pewter City gym leader," she answered. "I heard that the leader uses rock-type, so I decided to fight rock with rock." Brock's insides suddenly froze in amazement – what a coincidence!

"Anyway," Brock said, "we should leave the place before the weather gets chilly. We could have our Onix ride us down the place."

The two rode their Onix down the trail of Mt. Moon. Sometime in the trip, Gillian lost her balance and fell down. Brock reacted fast and caught Gillian's arm. Perhaps there was a newfound spark of friendship from the both of them.

* * *

Fast-forward into the gym battle some three days later – Gillian was waiting in her spot to face the gym leader. "Introducing the Pewter City gym leader," the referee announced.

The door opened to the gym leader's post and Brock stepped out.

"You're the gym leader," Gillian said, shocked to find out that her new friend was the gym leader of Pewter City.

'I guess it's a gym leader's tactic not to slip the word," Brock said, "to tell you the truth – I've only been the gym leader for a very short while. Anyway, good luck with the battle. I hope to see what you've got in mind. Things will get a little bumpy in here."

In the first round, Brock used Geodude while Gillian used Sandshrew. Although Sandshrew was a ground-type Pokémon, a disadvantage for Brock's Geodude, Brock's Geodude managed to finish Sandshrew with a clever offense-defense maneuverability. Gillian's Onix finished Brock's Geodude quickly. Brock called in his Onix.

Twenty minutes into the second round, both Onix were wearing out. Neither of them gained advantage over the other.

"Onix," Brock called, "Slam attack!"

Brock's Onix came forward and raised its tail to slam Gillian's Onix.

"Onix," Gillian called, "Use your Slam!"

Gillian's Onix also came forward and raised its tail for a Slam attack.

The two tails met in mid-air and the Onix wrestled to put down the other. Brock's Onix took the upper-hand and successfully maneuvered its Slam attack.

"Rock Throw," Brock called. Onix raised its tail and combined the force of Slam and its rock-hard body to maneuver a Rock Throw.

"Onix," Gillian called, "Rock Smash!"

"What the…?"

Gillian's Onix recovered the slam and it slammed its tail on the ground. The slam created a tremor that caused some pebbles to rise into the air. Suddenly, a small fissure opened up and came towards Brock's Onix. Brock's Onix sank into the fissure. This gave Gillian one last attack.

"Okay," Gillian called, "Slam attack!"

Gillian's Onix moved forward and slammed its tail on Brock's stuck Onix. Brock's Onix got free from the fissure and fainted.

* * *

Fast-forward three hours after Brock gave Gillian the Boulder Badge. Brock was in his locker room looking at some postcards from his cousins from the neighboring region, Johto, when Gillian suddenly stepped in.

"Oh," Brock looked up and spoke, "I thought you left for Cerulean City?"

"Not yet," Gillian said, "I'd be challenging the Vermilion City gym next, but it won't be until I return there."

"Ah," Brock said, "so you live there. What are you doing here in Pewter City?"

Gillian giggled and said, "My grandparents live here, so I decided to stay here until I feel like I need to go back home." She looked back for a while then continued, "Hey Brock, I just wanted to ask you something." Brock raised his eyebrows to listen what she wanted to ask. Gillian asked, "Do you want to go out this evening – um, with me – to the Pewter Café?"

The Pewter Café was one of the most appealing spots in the city. It stood on a small hill outside the city. Although it was a café restaurant that had a cool ambience and a pleasing atmosphere, the back area of the café was a patio to reminiscence the essence of beauty and romance. "Okay," Brock said unsure if Gillian was really sane or not.

* * *

Fast forward into the night – eight o' clock in the evening. Brock and Gillian were wearing their casual clothes. Their attire reflected on the night's ambience so it would be one heck of a blissful night. The both of them met at the front street of Pewter Café. Both of them entered the café. Only a few people and couples were there.

* * *

Fast forward one hour and a half after their dinner. The both of them were in the patio overlooking at a small descending field that stretched nowhere outside Pewter City.

"Brock," Gillian started the conversation, "I wanted to tell you something."

"What is it you want to tell me," Brock asked as he leaned on the steel rails. Gillian held her hands together and looked at the starry sky.

"I think," she started and then she became lost for words. Brock only fell silent so he could hear better. Gillian got to herself in some part and completed the sentence, "I think I like you."

Brock's insides leapt up and celebrated, but he just grinned and said, "Thanks for the appreciation. It's kinda funny, really. We just met a few days ago – and all of a sudden, we're here in this place."

Gillian giggled and said, "I think you're right, yeah."

Both of them fell silent. Brock turned around to face the field as he leaned on the steel rails once more. He also noticed that Gillian was now beside him – not inches away from him, but the sides of their body were actually touching. The both of them somewhat felt comfortable.

"Hey, Gillian," Brock suddenly spoke. Gillian looked at him.

"What is it," she spoke.

"I like you too," Brock admitted. "Well, it's more than that – I just think you're kind, charming, and beautiful."

Gillian smiled wider and looked away to hide the extreme feeling.

"I just think you're," Gillian spoke nervously, "rock-hard sweet."

"Thanks," Brock said softly and kept the expression 'rock-hard sweet' to himself. He looked around for a moment and found out that he and Gillian were the only ones in the patio. "The night's beautiful, don't you think?"

"I guess it is," she said and looked up at the starry night sky.

Thus, it started their date.

Fast forward thirty minutes into their date. "Brock," Gillian spoke, "the night's been wonderful."

"Yeah," Brock agreed.

The two of them fell silent again. This time, Gillian made her move and she softly placed her head on Brock's shoulder. Brock, in return, embraced Gillian and put his arm around her.

"Brock," Gillian said, "thanks for the friendship."

…

By ten-thirty in the evening, they left Pewter Café. Both of them said goodnight to each other and they separated. Brock arrived in his home and was greeted by his father, who was reading a magazine about famous rock-type Pokémon trainers.

"How was your evening," his father asked when he looked up from the magazine.

"It was – beautiful," Brock answered.

"Sounds like you've made yourself a girlfriend," his father said with a seemingly excited voice, "good luck with the times ahead – it'll be a rocky climb from here."

Brock chuckled and said, "Thanks pa."

* * *

**Present Day:**

"Well, that's how we met and got ourselves in a relationship," Brock spoke.

It was kinda funny to have May and Dawn in tears when they listened to Brock's flashback.

"Cut it out," Brock spoke, "that was only part one of the story – here comes part two."

"So how were the times with Gillian ahead," I asked.

"Well as my father said," Brock continued, "things would be rocky ahead. Our relationship became bumpy and bumpy as days passed by. We had to face trials in a relationship – from simple arguments to terrible disputes and quarrels. It was also hard for us to really get in touch because I had to attend seminars in the Pewter Conference Building for a gym update. However, despite all those trials, we stayed strong. Eventually, the news about us spread around the city and we became a famous couple. We didn't mind all the gossips and controversies about us. We seemed to be celebrities in the city.

"Those were the great days," he continued sadly, "but something happened…"

* * *

**Brock's Flashback (Part 2):**

"Brock," Gillian suddenly appeared to him, "I'm going back to Vermilion City."

"Why," Brock asked her.

"M-My grandmother p-passed away yesterday," she said sadly. Tears flowed out from her eyes – tears that meant the passing away of her grandmother but more of leaving the one she loved. "I – I h-have no choice."

Brock looked down and said, "It's so hard to really separate from here."

"Well," Gillian sobbed, "I – I g-guess it's goodbye."

Brock tried to find the words to prevent the heartache from reaching its limit. He said, "For now."

The young couple embraced each other tightly and gave each other one last kiss before they separated. Brock traveled down the path back to Pewter City, while Gillian went down the path to Mt. Moon – away from Brock.

"_Days after, I met you, Ash, and also Misty. We traveled together for months before we reached Vermilion City, where you would gain your third badge and where I would see her again. But she turned out to be in the S.S. Anne._

"_That's where everything fell – she was torn away from me._"

* * *

**Present Day:**

We were all silent for a while. Suddenly, I didn't feel like seeing Misty. I was deeply touched by Brock's story. It brought all of us forward and taught us valuable lessons in life and relationships. I did remember the time when the S.S. Anne sank in the middle of the sea. Everyone pitied Brock.

"So why is she here anyway," I asked.

"She might be here to challenge Misty for a gym battle," Brock answered. "Between those years, she must've ended up somewhere and forgot about gym battling for a while."

"Yes," came a voice from the doorway. We turned to see who it was. It was Gillian. "After the S.S. Anne sank, I was still inside the ship. I couldn't escape the treacherous clutches of the rising water – no escape, no hope. Water filled the room and I thought it would be the end. That was when a Gyarados fired a Hyper Beam into the room and found me. It must've carried me to the Hoenn region, because when I woke up, I found myself in Mossdeep City. My parents thought I was dead." Then she turned to Brock and said, "I never forgot about you, Brock."

Brock's mouth was hanging half-open as he looked at Gillian and tried to find the memories they planted in the past.

"Why didn't you just come back to me," Brock asked. "I would've informed your parents that you were still alive."

Gillian and Brock just stared at each other for a few seconds before Gillian turned away with a soft, "I'm sorry."

Gillian left the room. Brock just sat there frozen in his seat. It was when Misty came in.

"Hi again guys," Misty greeted us. The excited feeling inside me did dissipate. I just wished there was some way to comfort Brock. "Oh, don't worry about Gillian. She's just here to battle for the Cascade Badge."

"There are a million things to worry," I told Misty.

"What do you mean," Misty asked me wonderingly.

"Hi Misty," Dawn stood up and spoke, "you may not have known me much, but I'm Dawn. About the question earlier – Brock seems to suffer a really terrible past involving the young woman outside."

Misty wondered about that, "What about Gillian?"

Brock retold the whole story. In the end, Misty seemed a bit surprised. She was also frowning.

"Brock," Misty went over to Brock and comforted him with a pat on the shoulder, "I'm sorry to say this – Gillian is traveling with her boyfriend, Keith."

"WHAT," Brock exploded.

We were all chilled to the bone to see Brock in his most upset state. There was nothing good to help with Brock, deeply sad and miserable, as he sat there in his seat.

"There's no point getting angry in here," Brock spoke and tears started to well out of his eyes. "Every time I do my infatuation stuff, it just keeps on reminding me Gillian. I guess that's why I really get over the girls I meet." He stood up and continued, "I think – my infatuation line is over… guess I can live the rest of m-my life un-unmarried."

"Brock," May spoke, terrified, "no way. You can't just…"

"So what if I can't," Brock stopped her, "everything will just fall apart – I'll just meet a girl and everything ends there! It's been the same ever since I traveled with you guys!"

We were all too sorry to speak. I could imagine how painful it would feel if I were in Brock's shoes.

"We just have to give Brock some space," Misty said. "For the meantime, I'll just talk to Gillian for a while before I start her match. You guys should head to my home and wait until I get back."

The day passed somewhat quickly – night came and flew by. And the next morning, we woke up to find that Brock was gone. He left a note in the living room table. I picked up the note and all of us gathered around to read it.

_Let this be a lesson to you. Keep the others close to yourselves, they're special and they have a place in your hearts. You will always find the right time to spend time with them. We don't own a place in this world. That's why we all move about and meet different people._

_Brock_

I put down the note – it could only mean one thing: did Brock really leave the group – for good?

WHERE WILL BROCK GO?

* * *

Next chapter in Winner Takes Ash: Pains of the Past

"What brought you to the lake," Brock asked. "I thought you'd be in frontier duty."

"I'm just training," Lucy answered. "And I'm not the Pike Queen anymore."

Brock seemed surprised, "Why is that?"

"I just resigned a year ago," Lucy said. "I was replaced by a trainer named Fender – he showed more offensive guts than me. He calls himself the Pike Myrmidon."

"So what are you doing in the region, where's your family?"

Lucy's eyes widened and she gasped, and then she looked down and said, "I never had a proper family since three years old."

…

"I feel sorry for you," he spoke softly, "you're only living by yourself – without anyone to be there to defend you."

"My Pokémon are there to defend me," Lucy looked at Brock with a serious look, "that's the only defense I can accept."

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Existing chapters:**

**Prologue – The Pokemon Masters**

**Chapter 1 – Face-Off**

**Chapter 2 – Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3 – Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4 – Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

**Chapter 5 – Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience**

**Chapter 6 – Forest and Poisons**

**Chapter 7 – It's A Whole New Gym Leader**

**Chapter 8 – Brock's Flashback**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Wow… sorry about that one… it was hard work to gather all the thoughts together. I did not put the kissing scene during their date, because it would be too awkward for Brock to kiss someone whom he just met.

I received polls from the readers and a few friends of mine who are into Pokémon. So I added part of their tallies and here are the results as of August 13, 2008: Misty – 15 votes, May – 17 votes, Dawn – 11 votes, another girl – 6 votes.

Thanks again to NotSoOrdinaryNoob for contributing additional ideas for Chapter 10.

And that reminds me, in just a few more chapters… we're gonna see Advanceshipping in action! So those who have been waiting for it, the fun for you is about to start in a few days when I submit that chapter.

Thanks for reading guys… it would appreciate if you can point out contradictions, so I can correct them if I have the time. Love ya all!

**The author does not own Pokémon, Nintendo, or GameFreak. The author owns Winner Takes Ash, Pokémon Pearl, and Pokémon Diamond.**

**PowerZone**


	11. Ch9: Pains of the Past

**CHAPTER 9: PAINS OF THE PAST**

Not all hurts can be comforted, lest the time can be healed...

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 7) "May's had a problem," I spoke, rather confused.

"Yeah," Brock said, "her father, Norman, is awfully sick right now. Some say that the Petalburg City gym leader won't live for a few more months."

I was shocked. I didn't know May had problems arising from the family. May was still my friend – I couldn't just leave the both of us fighting each other for the rest of our lives.

"May," I started slowly, "I'm – I'm truly sorry. I – I didn't know you had this kind of problem. I – I hope you just accept my apology. Please May, we can sort everything out in the gym."

(Chapter 6) "ASH HAS A GIRLFRIEND," Max yelled out and laughed hard. "HAHAHAHAA!!" Pikachu and I sweated.

"Stop it Max," Dawn suddenly spoke, "I'll just introduce myself. I'm Dawn, Ash's companion in the Sinnoh region."

Max stopped laughing and went back to himself. "Nice to meet you Dawn." Then he whispered to me, "Boy May's gonna be dead jealous when she hears you have a girlfriend!"

I lost control, "DAWN IS NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!"

(Chapter 1) "So you're going back to Pallet Town," he assumed.

"Uh," I answered wonderingly, "yeah, but I'll be heading to Cerulean City to…" I didn't dare tell him about Misty, "to visit an old friend."

"I see," Lt. Surge nodded. "Well, I'd be happy to serve the champion. Since I'm off gym duty for two days, we can rush to the City of the Mystical Aura in my Humvee."

* * *

**This is the first filler in the story. You may choose to skip this chapter and proceed to Chapter 10: Petalburg Pursuit – To the Maximum!**

_For six to seven years, Brock had been traveling with Ash and his companions. Along the way, Brock increased his experiences to become a Pokémon Breeder. Though, hindrances face him in the eye when he snaps from his goal and switches to infatuation mode, only to be stopped by ear-pulls or Poison Jabs – but he's realized that girls are not for him. He's been with Ash in every nook and cranny of the regions – and every girl Brock met did not want to accept him (almost). Now Brock's had a change of heart and he's on his way – perhaps pursuing his ultimate dream once more and perhaps unlocking some more mysteries there is in the Pokémon world._

_The following morning after Brock, Ash, Dawn, and May arrived at Cerulean City, Brock left a note for the rest to wonder about that. He also slipped quietly from Misty's home in the wee hours of the morning while everyone was still sleeping. And now, let's follow Brock as we wanders down the steps of the Kanto region._

The sun was already up and it was seven-thirty in the morning. Brock was already far from the city and he was walking down the path somewhere to Lavender Town. Some minutes later, Brock decided to take a rest, and reminiscing the past brought Brock sitting on a small rock on the roadside.

"I can't stand Ash," Brock slowly spoke – though he was also grinning by the happy times, "he's years younger than me and he's already had girls falling for him. Oh well, I'll wish him the best of luck."

At that moment, three of Brock's Pokémon came out from their Pokéballs on their own – Forretress, Toxicroak, and Sudowoodo. Brock came to the conclusion that the three wanted to keep Brock company.

"Thanks guys," Brock said, "I guess we'll really be true pals."

The three of them nodded and they all made a group hug. Their bond and trust kept Brock going forward, despite the pains of the past.

"I guess there's no need for Toxicroak to poison jab me anymore," Brock told his Pokémon, "now that I've finally made a change of heart."

Toxicroak made a croaky laugh.

Brock and his three other Pokémon walked forward – and they came upon a small lake. The first thing Brock noticed was a handbag, a sleeveless red, blue, and purple shirt, and a long brown pair of jeans.

"Hmm," Brock wondered, "somebody must be swimming – judging by the bag and clothes, it must be a woman."

Brock looked at the lake to see any sign of movement – he found nothing.

"Oh well," he said to his Pokémon, "since I can't see anyone, let's have some training. How well are your moves?"

Forretress, Toxicroak, and Sudowoodo prepared themselves for training.

"Toxicroak," Brock called, "you're on!"

Toxicroak stepped forward to the lakeside.

"Show us your martial arts, Poisonous Ninja!"

Toxicroak started performing a series of jumps, kicks, and punches. While Toxicroak's movements slowly became faster, its hands glowed purple and every stroke of its hands left a small streak of purple behind it. Toxicroak went into a performance where things got more complicated – including lightning martial arts and speed-fighting combinations. It ended the performance with a jump, then a spin, then a perfect circle of Sludge Bombs.

Brock, Forretress, and Sudowoodo applauded at the performance. They were all very impressed.

"Impressive performance and combination," Brock called as Toxicroak landed back to the ground from the jump. Then he said to his remaining two Pokémon, "Forretress, you're up next!"

Toxicroak went back to Brock and Forretress stepped forward to the lakeside.

"Go Forretress," Brock called, "offensive tactic – Pinpoint!"

Forretress prepared itself. Its first move was Spikes attack directed upwards. When the Spikes were gaining back on Forretress, Forretress lifted itself in a forty-five degree angle facing the lake then it used its second move, Rapid Spin. The Spikes that came in contact with Forretress's spinning body rebounded off its armor and shot forward over the lake. Then Forretress stopped spinning and fired a Hyper Beam to the spikes and ensured that all of them would be destroyed before they would land on the water.

The Hyper Beam was good, powerful, and fast – yet, it was not fast enough to reach the spikes, nor did the spikes hit the water just yet. While the Hyper Beam was gaining speed, a Milotic and its trainer suddenly appeared from underwater and got in the way of the Hyper Beam. The four of them saw it all as the Hyper Beam made a direct hit on Milotic. The trainer was also hit by some of the Hyper Beam's power and it landed back into the water. The trainer rendered unconscious – and Brock feared the worst.

"Aggron," Brock called out his Aggron. The heavy metal Pokémon popped out from its Pokéball. "Aggron, I want you to surf us to the center of the lake!"

Brock's Aggron was unique because Brock taught it to learn Surf – a master achievement for a Breeder to teach a rock-Pokémon surf if applicable. Aggron immediately got into the water without fearing its element. Brock hopped on to Aggron's plated back.

"The three of you," Brock said to his three Pokémon, "stay here until I get back."

The three of them nodded.

"Aggron," Brock spoke, "let's go."

Aggron started surfing to the part in the lake where Forretress's Hyper Beam hit Milotic – that spot should be where the trainer would be.

Before Brock reached the spot, the same Milotic surfaced from underwater with its trainer at its back.

"Is your trainer okay," Brock asked. Milotc seemed unsure.

Brock carried the unconscious trainer from Milotic's back. Upon looking at the trainer, Brock had this feeling that he had met this person before – long ago.

"Let's surf back to shore," he said to Aggron and Milotic. The two Pokémon surfed back to the shore where Brock's three Pokémon were still waiting. Upon reaching the shore, Brock stepped into the land and put the unconscious trainer down. He returned Aggron, Forretress, Sudowoodo, and Toxicroak into their Pokéballs. Brock performed cardio-pulmonary resuscitation to revive the trainer. Seconds later, the trainer coughed and spurted out some water from its mouth. Brock was thankful that the trainer was alive. When the trainer stopped coughing – the trainer opened the eyes – blazing red eyes that immediately brought Brock back to a memory where he thought he made history.

The red eyes and the slanting eyes gazed at each other for a moment.

"Lucy…"

…

"What could the Pike Queen be doing here," Brock asked her.

"Could that be," Lucy started speaking in the tone Brock recognized a few years back, but she darted her gaze away and said, "No – I – I think I'm just mistaken."

"Come on, Lucy," Brock said as he helped Lucy up, "I thought you would remember a little bit."

Lucy glared at Brock and said, "Refresh me."

Brock tried to recall anything that happened in any incident that involved Brock and Lucy. "Oh, do you remember Ash."

"Oh, him," Lucy said as she tried to recall a certain something, "Ash… he's the Champion – is he not?" Her glare suddenly turned into wonder, "Ash, Ash," Lucy mumbled and then her eyes widened and she let out a gasp, "It really is you! You're – you're his companion!"

Brock chuckled and said, "Ha, nice to meet you again. If you've already forgotten, my name's Brock."

"So you're the Pokémon Breeder who's been traveling with Ash," Lucy said as she wiped herself with the towel that had been laid with her clothes (but Brock failed to notice). She wore her shirt and her pants and went back to Brock. "Tell me, how's he?"

"He's just fine," Brock answered, "he's been pretty doing well by the time." That brought Brock to another point he couldn't quite get.

"What brought you to the lake," Brock asked. "I thought you'd be in frontier duty."

"I'm just training," Lucy answered. "And I'm not the Pike Queen anymore."

Brock seemed surprised, "Why is that?"

"I just resigned a year ago," Lucy said. "I was replaced by a trainer named Fender – he showed more offensive guts than me. He calls himself the Pike Myrmidon."

"So what are you doing in the region, where's your family?"

Lucy's eyes widened and she gasped, and then she looked down and said, "I never had a proper family since three years old."

"What do you mean," Brock asked. The two of them sat down on the lakeside to do some sort of sharing.

"The pains of the past," Lucy answered while she braced her arms on her legs, "they still haunt me up to this very day." She let out a low breath for a while before she started her story, "I was still a young child at that time when a terrible tragedy occurred. I didn't know what really happened – but all I can remember is a living inferno."

* * *

**Lucy's Flashback:**

The fire blazed everywhere and the three-year old Lucy was trapped between the rage of the fire and certain death. She could do nothing except cry out for her parents, who were already rushed to safety outside the burning home. Outside the blazing scenario, the parents of Lucy were very desperate for the firemen and rescuers to recover their child. And when the rescue team came out empty, it was when everything turned out for the worst.

"No, don't go back in," Lucy's father called as he tried to stop, but failed and he could only watch his wife go back into the inferno.

Seconds turned into three agonizing minutes before the child – only Lucy came out of the house – alive and unconscious. While the firemen were giving everything they had to battle the inferno, the rescuers were also giving everything they had to save the mother. But the efforts came out short when they witnessed the horror – the mother was found in the spot where the child had been trapped.

"_Mother suffocated in the smoke. I guess she died to let me continue living. Maybe it's also a reason why my eyes are blazing red – it's not anger or passion; maybe it's the sacrificial power that my mother gave me. It's one of the things that I could not really understand well. And even looking at myself in front of the mirror could I almost picture everything that happened in that scenario._

"_Father and I were the ones left – but not for long. My father was a scientist in a corporation – but he was caught of smuggling a computer software virus into the industry. We fled to the countryside, but even hiding could not escape from the intelligence of the corporation where my father had worked._"

"Leave Lucy alone," the angry father defended the five-year old Lucy, who was cowered behind the living room chair. "You have no intention to be here."

"We're not here for the kid," the agents stepped forward to make their move. "We're here for you."

"There's no escape," the lead agent said. "You're wanted for smuggling a computer software virus into the corporation. If you will surrender now, we will not harm the child or your life."

"_Everything after that suddenly faded from my memory – but I can only recall four or five loud bangs. And when I came back to my senses – I was all alone. When I learned the whole truth about my father, I started to hate myself for being in this world. I had no more purpose to live in this world – but Barbara gave me another chance._

"_Both of us grew up together and we loved Pokémon. Barbara's family desperately wanted to forget everything that happened, but even if they did so – I just couldn't. And as I grew up, I studied Pokémon and formed my all-offensive team. This all-offensive team is the product of all my pains that occurred to me. And I cannot do anything to wipe this corrupted memory._"

* * *

The both of them were silent for a while before Brock spoke.

"I feel sorry for you," he spoke softly, "you're only living by yourself – without anyone to be there to defend you."

"My Pokémon are there to defend me," Lucy looked at Brock with a serious look, "that's the only defense I can accept."

"We may not have similar pasts," he said, "but we endured those pains as well."

Lucy listened to Brock on what he had endured. Brock told the whole story on how he and Gillian met, started a relationship, and struggled through the trials and endurances of life. Brock also told the story on when they had to separate, and then when he was a shade too late to see her again. Then Brock told the twist of turns that ended up in a greater tragedy for Brock.

"That's – too bad," Lucy spoke sentimentally as she looked down. "I just hope you're fine after everything."

"Yeah," Brock spoke, "like you said – we can't do anything to wipe the corrupted memory."

The both of them fell silent again – and Brock broke the silence once more.

"How are your Pokémon doing," he asked, "um, all this time?"

Lucy looked at him, smiled a bit, and said, "They're still the same as it was when I battled Ash – they're still pure offensive and all their attacks were made for them to go all out. How about yours?"

Brock took out his four Pokémon – Forretress, Toxicroak, Sudowoodo, and Aggron.

"Those look cool," Lucy remarked as she stood up and took a closer look at them. "Yeah, they're just my kind of Pokémon."

"Forretress is rather more of defensive – but it also has a series of reckless moves. Toxicroak is more of offensive – and it's incredible when it comes to stealth. Aggron's defense and offense are balanced. Sudowoodo hardly uses any offensive moves unless it really wants to."

"It's a good way to really balance the Pokémon roster," Lucy said. She thought about something for a while, then she said to Brock, "How about letting me see how the Pewter City gym leader battles…" she took out two Pokéballs from her pocket, "in a two-on-two match."

Brock stood up and said, "Any day, Lucy."

Since it was Brock who accepted the challenge, Lucy had to make the rules. "Two-on-two – thirty turns… if at least one Pokémon of each trainer can still survive after the given limit, then this will be a draw. Let's begin."

It was Seviper and Milotic versus Toxicroak and Aggron.

In the first few turns, Toxicroak took its chance to weaken Milotic's power and use Toxic on it. Although the attack failed, Aggron backed it up with Thunder charges on the water. Milotic's paralysis also meant a defense raise due to its Marvel Scale ability. Meanwhile, Seviper had been concentrating on the offense against Toxicroak, but failed to land an effective hit because Toxicroak was too swift.

By the tenth turn, Milotic's Aqua Tail did some major damage to Aggron, but Aggron held on to its tail and shot out another surge of Thunder. To make it up for the compensation, Aggron fired off a Solarbeam attack that put a good distance between Seviper and Toxicroak. In the same turn, Seviper and Toxicroak were battling out with the hands against the tail, but none of them seemed to find an advantage.

Aggron was the first to faint in the fourteenth turn when Seviper focused away from Toxicroak and landed a Giga Drain attack.

In the next turn, Toxicroak did the same way – it came for Milotic and landed a Sludge Bomb then one final Poison Jab before Milotic fainted. Seviper and Toxicroak were the only ones left.

By the twentieth turn, the both of them started to feel tired. But they didn't want to give up – Seviper's dodging ability and Toxicroak's fighting and speed seemed to be of equal match. If Lucy wanted to defeat Brock, she would need a good combination powerful enough that could also land a hit on Toxicroak. If Brock wanted to defeat Lucy, he would have to think outside the box and find a way to use anything that could be effective against Seviper.

Between the twentieth and the twenty-seventh turn, both Pokémon exchanged attacks fiercely – even Seviper and Toxicroak had to shroud themselves in a dust cloud created when Poison Jab and Poison Tail made fierce impacts to the ground. But when the twenty-eighth turn came, Toxicroak's Brick Break landed a big blow on Seviper.

When the twenty-ninth turn came, Seviper paralyzed Toxicroak using Glare. Although Toxicroak was paralyzed, its Anticipation ability sensed something was wrong – and in the final turn, Seviper used Earthquake to finish it all. But fortunately for Toxicroak, its ability made it think ahead. It grabbed Seviper's tail and made it come in contact with the quake, therefore dealing self-inflicted damage.

But both Pokémon were still standing after the final turn.

"Call for draw," Lucy called, and both Pokémon stopped battling. The two trainers returned their Pokémon. "Those were impressive moves," Lucy continued, "maybe I ought to train a little harder."

"Maybe so," Brock responded, "at least we have all the time to do that."

The battle seemed to be a start for their newfound relationship – just like Brock's past with his ex-girlfriend. Brock had learned things in the pains of the past – and Lucy related her experiences and she applied what she had learned with Barbara. And side by side, for the very first time, Brock and Lucy walked down the lakeside and on the path to Saffron City.

"_So a new relationship is born – the Pokémon Breeder, Brock, and the former Pike Queen, Lucy. Let's wish them a good luck – Brock would undergo everything all over again, while Lucy would start off with a delightful beginning, after which would be a non-defensive climb up ahead. We don't know if their relationship would last for a long time. But while the both of them are sharing their newfound relationship, let's turn back the time to see what happened in another side of the story…_"

* * *

Next chapter on Winner Takes Ash: Petalburg Pursuit – To the Maximum!

"Hi honey," mom greeted me, "I heard you dropped by home for a while."

"Yeah," I said, "I did. So how was the conference?"

"It went great," mom told me, "the PTEC (Pokémon Trainers Elite Council) decided to give you an elite leader post. You're given two months to decide."

I fell silent and grinned at this surprise – me, an elite leader? This is going to be wild!

"Elite Leader Ash," Gary, my old rival, greeted. He was wearing the same clothes when he was traveling in the Kanto region. His voice also seemed to be a bit deeper. "Congratulations, I didn't know you could be this advanced."

…

"Ma'am," I started but Caroline held up a finger to her mouth.

"I know you're here, Ash," she spoke quietly, "but I need to spend some more time with Norman for a while."

May and I left the room and closed the door quietly.

…

"May!"

"Ash!"

I raised my eyebrows, "Huh?"

"We're going for a short walk in the beach," May spoke quickly and she held my hand. She pulled me to the outside of the house.

"Both of us, Max, and Pikachu," I panted.

"No," May spoke, "both of us only. I wanted to have a one-on-one heart-to-heart talk with you for a while."

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Existing chapters:**

**Prologue – The Pokemon Masters**

**Chapter 1 – Face-Off**

**Chapter 2 – Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3 – Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4 – Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

**Chapter 5 – Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience**

**Chapter 6 – Forest and Poisons**

**Chapter 7 – It's A Whole New Gym Leader**

**Chapter 8 – Brock's Flashback**

**Chapter 9 – Pains of the Past**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

This is the first filler in the story as I've told you… but at least I've provided some ideas that Brock won't really be traveling alone on his own, though he can be capable of doing so. As I've said, you could skip chapter 9 and read chapter 10 immediately, because the point to focus is on Ash.

Although I did my best to exemplify Luckyshipping, I, myself, am not convinced of what I've done… To tell you guys the truth – I guess I'm too indifferent when it comes to writing trashy love stories…

Hang on people, because the next chapter is Advancedshipping time! Hope you'll like it! ROFLMAO!

**The author does not own Pokémon, Nintendo, or GameFreak. The author owns Winner Takes Ash, Pokémon Pearl, and Pokémon Diamond.**

**PowerZone**


	12. Ch10: Petalburg Pursuit

**CHAPTER 10: PETALBURG PURSUIT - TO THE MAXIMUM!**

The will to follow his own conscience will be the first thing Ash has to look inside for himself.

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 8) "There's no point getting angry in here," Brock spoke and tears started to well out of his eyes. "Every time I do my infatuation stuff, it just keeps on reminding me Gillian. I guess that's why I really get over the girls I meet." He stood up and continued, "I think – my infatuation line is over… guess I can live the rest of m-my life un-unmarried."

"Brock," May spoke, terrified, "no way. You can't just…"

"So what if I can't," Brock stopped her, "everything will just fall apart – I'll just meet a girl and everything ends there! It's been the same ever since I traveled with you guys!"

(Chapter 6) "I thought we'd never make it," I told Dawn as we kept running to Pewter City to have our Pokémon healed.

"Pikachu," I told my half-conscious buddy, "you'll make it. Don't worry."

(Chapter 9) Brock chuckled and said, "Ha, nice to meet you again. If you've already forgotten, my name's Brock."

"So you're the Pokémon Breeder who's been traveling with Ash," Lucy said as she wiped herself with the towel that had been laid with her clothes (but Brock failed to notice). She wore her shirt and her pants and went back to Brock. "Tell me, how's he?"

"He's just fine," Brock answered, "he's been pretty doing well by the time." That brought Brock to another point he couldn't quite get.

* * *

**STORY PROPER:**

When we woke up the day later after listening to Brock's flashback, we noticed that not only Brock was gone – but May, herself, was also gone! We couldn't possibly think that she might've gone with Brock, because it sounded like Brock was not headed off back to his home.

"May's gone," Misty gathered everyone in the living room first thing next morning. It was half-past six in the morning and Tracey was in the kitchen preparing breakfast for everyone. She was also holding a note in her hand. "She left this just outside my room."

I got the note from Misty and read it:

_Hey guys,_

_I had lots of fun in my adventures – staying with you also formed a part of it._

_If you're wondering where I am, I'm probably somewhere near a tree to Terracotta Town. There, I'll be riding a ferry to Littleroot Town. In short, I'm going home. I had to leave so early in the morning to arrive home in the earliest time possible._

_Dad's fallen terribly ill. The doctors said he might not survive for a few more weeks. It's been so painful for me. All my arguments just reminded me of home._

_Ash, I'm terribly sorry about what happened back in Pewter City. When I saw you and Dawn, my insides just boiled up and exploded. I didn't have enough time to confess what I had to say. But if you're planning to follow me back to Petalburg, take Max with you. He's in Pallet Town serving as Professor Oak's junior assistant. Have both of you board a ferry to Littleroot Town._

_I'm miserable since dad's such a great father. He's my idol and my hero. No hero – I'm nothing._

_I'm counting on you, Ash._

_Thanks for everything guys, but it's farewell for now._

_May_

And it was signed with a doodle heart after her name.

As I reread the note, the others looked at me wonderingly if I had to give in to May's request. Misty and Dawn felt equally depressed and suspicious. When I looked at the both of them, I suddenly knew what May wanted to do with me. It was simply obvious – it was in the note.

"You're not – going, right," Dawn squeaked.

I put down the note and stood up. pikachu tugged my pants and ran back to the room. I guess Pikachu wanted to go to Petalburg.

"I can't leave a problem unsolved," I told Dawn. "I guess there's no choice."

I walked slowly back to the room to get ready. In the room, while I placed all my available clothes in my bag, Dawn called me from the doorway. "Will you be back," she asked worriedly. No me meant a miserable Dawn.

After I placed my last shirt in the bag, I wore the bag on my bag and went over to Dawn. I looked at her for a while then planted a soft kiss on her forehead and said, "Don't worry, Dawn. I'll be back soon."

She smiled a little.

* * *

My first step before heading to Petalburg City was Pallet Town to pick up Max. But before I left the city, I realized that I didn't take breakfast. Since I was racing against the clock, I took my breakfast in a restaurant then made my way to Pallet Town. I had Staraptor take me there, and it learned an unfamiliar move. Staraptor conjured patterned bladed feathers from its wings and shot them to the ground. I named the move Featherblade. Thirty minutes after flying (and a chilling wind over the Viridian forest), we arrived in Pallet Town in front of Professor Oak's laboratory. Gary and my mother were inside.

"Hi honey," mom greeted me, "I heard you dropped by home for a while."

"Yeah," I said, "I did. So how was the conference?"

"It went great," mom told me, "the PTEC (Pokémon Trainers Elite Council) decided to give you an elite leader post. You're given two months to decide."

I fell silent and grinned at this surprise – me, an elite leader? This is going to be wild!

"Elite Leader Ash," Gary, my old rival, greeted. He was wearing the same clothes when he was traveling in the Kanto region. His voice also seemed to be a bit deeper. "Congratulations, I didn't know you could be this advanced."

"It's nothing," I smiled.

"You may be champion," Gary spoke, "but we're still rivals. But nah, I have no mood for a battle. Electivire and Magmortar just got wiped out yesterday."

"Where's Max," I asked while I looked around for any signs of him.

"Oh, the kid of the Petalburg City gym leader," Gary clarified, "he's in the room getting ready."

Max came down from the laboratory stairs and went over to us, "I'm ready," he said. Then he said to Gary, "Gary, it's been such a pleasure to be your grandfather's junior assistant."

Gary looked down at Max and said, "No problem, Max." Then he remembered something. "I remember – gramps told me to give this to you as a thank-you present."

He reach down inside his lab coat pocket and gave Max a Pokéball.

"Oh wow, is he serious," Max exclaimed as his eyes glowed with excitement upon looking at the Pokéball.

"You should know that the Pokémon inside was caught in the same island where Professor Oak is working," Gary told Max. Then he said to me, "I also heard that he was using a type suitable for him."

"Ha," I said to Max, "so you're finally a trainer."

"Yeah," Max looked at me with a grin as if he wanted to challenge me, "and that reminded me of a promise."

"I remember," I said to Max, "you promised that we would battle when you would get your Pokémon."

"That's right," Max spoke eagerly.

"So are you ready to head back to Petalburg," I asked Max. he nodded.

Mom and Gary bade us goodbye to the both of us as Max and I stepped out of the front door of Professor Oak's laboratory. It was almost eleven in the morning and the sun was shining brightly overhead. When we went out of the gate, my Pokégear in my backpack started ringing. I hastily took it out and found May's number flashing on the screen. I pressed the answer button.

"May," I spoke, "what's up?"

"Ash, where are you and max," May's voice came in. "I'll be waiting in Professor Birch's laboratory. If not, I'll be heading home. Is Max already with you?"

"Yeah," I answered, "we're going down to the ferry. We'll meet you in a few days."

"Okay," she spoke and then she hung up.

I ended transmission on the Pokégear and took out Staraptor from its Pokéball. Max felt mystified to see an exotic Pokémon before him. "Do you mind a few minutes trip to the port just ahead," I asked Staraptor. Staraptor raised its wings that meant a yes.

We got on Staraptor and it flew with us to the port. We arrived there five minutes later. Then we got our tickets and boarded the Ram Ferry for the Hoenn region. Max showed me what was in his thank-you present – it was a Sneasel.

"So you're a dark-type user," I concluded upon looking at Sneasel. "Now that you're using dark-type Pokémon, I just have the Pokémon to battle them."

"Don't get too cocky Ash," Max spoke haughtily, "you even haven't seen my Pokémon yet."

* * *

The Ram Ferry arrived by Littleroot Town by two-thirty in the afternoon two days later. While we had been on the way, Max and Sneasel befriended and he got to know what moves his Sneasel had. The first thing we did in Littleroot Town was take a ten-minute flight to Professor Birch's laboratory. Only Joshua, Professor Birch's assistant, was inside and tending to a group of newborn Seedot.

"Hi," Joshua said to us, "Professor Birch is with Professor Oak in Auraspark Island. He won't be back here until probably next month." Before he went back to the Seedot, he told us, "and May dropped by just a few hours ago. She said that she would be going back to her home."

When we were done with the laboratory, the first thing I did was take out my Pokégear and contact May.

"I'm home already," she answered. "Blaziken carried me through the woods. It was a bumpy ride, but I still made it nevertheless."

"I'll keep in touch when Max, Pikachu, and I arrive," I said and ended transmission.

I took out Staraptor from its Pokéball and it agreed to lend us a ride to Petalburg City. It was still strong for another five hours – the flight would probably take at least two hours if Staraptor rode at full speed. Max, Pikachu, and I got onto Staraptor's back and we were off.

While on the way, we looked down at a cliff.

"That's Oldale Cliff," Max told me, "sitting near the edge is a very beautiful thing to do especially when you're watching the sunset. But below the cliff is a death field full of pointed and jagged rocks."

After the first hour into the flight, we were intervened by a Skarmory flying behind us. Fortunately, it passed by us without doing harm. But we still decided to swerve off a little to avoid intervening the Skarmory.

But thirty minutes later, we cane upon a wild encounter. Crazed Pokémon by a lake were firing Razor Leaf attacks at us. I looked down and saw a troop of Ludicolo firing Razor Leaf attacks. Pikachu used Thunderbolt on the incoming Razor Leaf attacks. Although electric attacks did little damage to grass-moves, Pkachu only managed to slow down the Razor Leaf and weaken it.

But a barricade of Razor Leaf just lay ahead of us.

"Staraptor," I said, "Aerial Ace." Then I said to Max and Pikachu, "Hold on!"

Staraptor swirled around in the air as we hung on for dear life. It felt like riding in a roller coaster as we spun around once then went for full throttle to a barricade. Staraptor's speed was so intense that it tore through the barricade as if nothing really happened. We were free from the intervention and we made our getaway.

"Whooooooweeeee," Max cheered as he pumped his fist on the air, "that was intense!"

"It seemed a bit easy," I spoke. The four of us just laughed and we kept going forward.

* * *

After twenty minutes, we arrived in Petalbug City. I called May through my Pokétch and have her send a signal to the sky. After a minute of waiting, we saw a column of fire rise to our left. I told Staraptor to follow it.

May and her other Pokémon were down there. We landed in May's yard and I returned Staraptor for a nice rest. It probably got wiped out from the intensity back there.

May, who wore in her house clothes, and her seven Pokémon (Blaziken, Beautifly, Skitty, Munchlax, Wartortle, Ivysaur, and Glaceon) went to us. She and Max hugged each other.

"Hello sis," Max greeted.

"Hi Max," May greeted back, "so how was Professor Oak?"

"He was great," he spoke jubilantly, "man, I worked so hard with him – and he even gave me a thank-you present!"

"Wow," May spoke excitedly, "what is it? I can't wait to see what it is!"

Max took out the Pokéball and threw it to the air. The Pokéball popped open and his Sneasel came out. May lent out a gasp of impression. "It's a Sneasel," she said.

Just then, four Pokémon appeared from another side of the house: Poochyena, Nuzleaf, Corphish, and Larvitar, and they ran over to greet Max. Max knelt down and greeted them. While he was doing so, May inched closer to me and said, "How are you, Ash?"

"Tired," I yawned, "we were just attacked by some Ludicolo on the way here." I gaped at her and asked, "Why did you have to leave early?"

"I wanted to come here at the earliest time possible," May answered.

I remembered that I placed her note in my pocket. But when I tried to find it, I couldn't find any trace of paper. "_Gyah,_" I thought bitterly, "_it must've fallen off while we were flying!_" I paused for a while and left that out, then I said, "So how's Norman?"

May looked down and led me into her home. I told Pikachu to play with Max and his Pokémon for a while. May and I stepped into her home. Kenny, their helper and the Petalburg City gym referee, was sweeping the living room floor. He was busy sweeping that he didn't seem to notice us enter the house. May led me to her parent's room. She opened the door slowly.

"Mom, dad," she whispered, "Ash's here."

She stepped into the room and I followed. The atmosphere inside the room was melancholy and silent. May's mother, Caroline, could not even look up and greet me. She was holding the hand of her half-asleep husband, the Petalburg City gym leader, Norman, May's dad.

"Ma'am," I started but Caroline held up a finger to her mouth.

"I know you're here, Ash," she spoke quietly, "but I need to spend some more time with Norman for a while."

May and I left the room and closed the door quietly.

"Dad had a fever that soared to a very high temperature," she explained the situation. "When dad was hospitalized, mom called and told me that he was suffering from a sickness called Severe Immunodeficiency Fever." She grasped her arms tightly and continued sadly, "The doctors said that he might not make it for a few more weeks." Tears flowed out from her eyes while she was saying those. Then she looked up at me and said fearfully, "I'm starting to be afraid to everything."

I said nothing as I looked down and remembered the gym battle with Norman. Everything had changed – my view of gym battles had changed after I defeated the father of my companion.

I patted May on the shoulder and said, "Everything won't turn out for the best, but eventually we have live on."

May wiped the tears in her eyes and said, "I know… eventually…"

* * *

I took out three of my other Pokémon – Hearcross, Torkoal, and Corphish to play in the yard. Max and Pikachu were surrounded by a gang of Pokémon. May's Beautifly, Glaceon, and Max's Sneasel were watching from a distance. The rest played around in the yard. I watched the Pokémon as they ran around like idiots (Max of course laughed the hardest). Pikachu was chasing Torkoal as both of them ran around from one side then to another.

While I watched them play joyfully, it almost seemed that the view of this happiness would be wiped by the view of the totally opposite thing – the gloominess in the situation on May's family. I sat down on one of the chairs in the yard, crossed my legs, and looked down sadly. May was one of my friends for a very long time and still until now – battling her father was also enough for a challenge to keep me going. And now – the powerful family almost seemed powerless. I pitied May. So much. Everyday on our journey in the Hoenn region, I hid everything I wanted to tell about May. May was almost lonely – she had missed home. And now she's home – but she's lonelier than ever – she'll miss her dad if it kept on going like this. While thinking about the two of us, I thought a Toxicroak hit my gut with a Poison Jab.

"Ash," May suddenly said from behind me. I looked around and saw May getting a chair, placing it beside mine, and then sitting on it. "I've never met your father."

Everything came back to me – the memory of leaving home to start on my journey.

"I never saw my father," I said. "I don't even know if I had a father, or maybe I just saw him for a very short while and then I never saw him again." I paused for a while, crossed my arms, and continued, "Mom never even told me stories about my father."

May looked at me for a while and then gazed back on the ground, "Oh well…"

We didn't ask any more questions. We just had to watch Max and the other Pokémon play around in the yard as we tried to find the happiness that we left while we went around the Hoenn region. The sun was setting behind the Maple's wall and the sunset-colored tinted clouds were streaking with the setting sun.

* * *

May and Max shared one room – but Caroline provided me with their extra mattress so I had to sleep on the floor. That dinner, everyone except Norman was gathered around the dinner table. Nobody talked for long because the gloomy atmosphere kept us from striking any conversations. And when dinner was done, Kenny prepared a bowl of chicken soup and a glass of water for Norman.

"Norman requests you to visit him," Kenny spoke after coming back from Norman's room.

I stepped inside Norman's room and closed the door quietly. He was sitting up on his bed (thankfully, the disease May mentioned was not contagious).

"Hello again Ash," Norman greeted lightly, "congratulations for being the Sinnoh region champion."

"Hello Norman," I spoke, "sir and thanks."

"Ah," he spoke lightly and he clapped his hands once, "quite the respect Ash. How are you doing now?"

"I'm fine," I spoke as I placed one arm behind my head. "Thank you very much, and I appreciate the invitation."

Norman laughed softly and said, "After you defeated me in that gym battle, I said to myself, 'That kid's got a chance.' And I was right – you made it to the top of the mountain."

I smiled to myself.

"You know what," he said softly, this time his tone more serious, "I think you have a greater potential – that makes you a more and a better… respected person."

"I think there's still more than just being the Pokémon master," I spoke.

"You're right," Norman agreed. "I've been gym leader for twelve years, but I still believe that there is a key that everyone's been looking for – a key that will unlock all the mysteries of the bond between humans and Pokémon." Then he paused for a while and continued, "If you happen to come across it, you better reach it with your arms and unlock the lock within everyone. You may still be young, but you've shown your great potential – you may be one of the lucky few who might just try and eventually succeed in unlocking the secret."

I looked down to reflect on some things.

"I might," I said.

"No you might not," he said. Then he said more seriously, "You will!"

I grinned and nodded.

"May thinks highly of you," he said, "she said to me you're her idol as a trainer and a coordinator. Have you been in Pokémon contests?" I didn't know what to say. I looked down and frowned – now I regretted having said that I never loved May. All what I had said was a lie – a downright lie.

"Um, yes," I said. "Although I'm not really good in those stuff." Then I said a bit hastily, "Norman, sir, I'll be back later – I have something important to tell May."

I was about to open the door when Norman stopped me and said, "How much do you have your feelings for my daughter?"

After a few seconds of stiff silence, I said, "Much…"

"Now go tell May how you really feel," he said with a soft smile.

I walked slowly and went out of Norman's room. I went back to May's room and checked my bag. I put my cap, vest, and my gloves inside. Before I could hurriedly get out of the room, the door flew open in front of me and narrowly missed my nose. May and I jolted to see each other.

"May!"

"Ash!"

I raised my eyebrows, "Huh?"

"We're going for a short walk in the beach," May spoke quickly and she held my hand. She pulled me to the outside of the house.

"Both of us, Max, and Pikachu," I panted.

"No," May spoke, "both of us only. I wanted to have a one-on-one heart-to-heart talk with you for a while."

"Wh-what," I said hastily.

"I'll tell you what when we get to the beach," she interrupted. "Mom allowed us – but we have to be home by ten." I checked the clock – it showed a few minutes before eight.

When the both of us were outside the house, we stopped for a while to erase the hesitation May created. The both of us walked through the busy city then we made our way to the beach – it was a twenty-minute walk.

* * *

When we arrived at the beach, I was awestruck to feel the surroundings – the cool breeze, the smell of the seawater, and the sound of the waves embracing the shore. The moon was partially hidden behind a small group of clouds, and there would be a small possibility that rain would fall. The beach lights were on as lampposts flickered in the surrounding areas – only a few cottages had people in them. May stepped to the sand and stretched her arms to feel the breeze. I stepped slowly to the sand and watched May in her trance.

"Well," May spoke as she wheeled around, "we should talk."

I approached May slowly and took her left hand. She opened her eyes from the trance as she looked at me.

"May," I started and then I found it hard to continue, "remember that time after Dawn and I kissed and I got angry at you?"

"Yeah," she spoke blankly, but deep inside – the memory stung her.

'Well," I said, "what I said was a downright lie."

May's eyes widened and she recalled what I said to her.

_You pulled a crazy stunt back there, you know. How could you ever steal Ash away from me? HOW COULD YOU!_

_MAY I never said I loved you! In all our travels in the Hoenn region, there was never a time that I thought of loving you. It was either you were crazy over me or you were just plain STUPID! Using that expression in front of her was a crazier stunt. Now get out of my way or I'll get you out of my life!_

_You – you don't…_

_I don't… I never even did._

"A downright lie," May spoke, "you mean you're telling me that the opposite of that was the truth?"

"Well," I had to admit," somewhat like that."

May looked down and tried to find the words to continue. "Ash – I don't know what to say… I…"

She found herself saying nothing at all.

"May," I spoke and held her other hand, "you don't have to say anything. I just want you to know – I love you – more of a friend than a lover. You're better off with someone else than with me."

May was looking at me with a state of confusion. It was time I had to make my move. Without letting go of her hands, I slowly closed my eyes and moved my head closer to may. She did not resist this action – but she just stood there frozen. I was not going to hold back any longer… then our lips touched. May thought I was insane. I knew that this was insane – but it was one way for the both of us to feel better.

Without knowing what would happen next, May just suddenly released her hands from my grip without letting go of the kiss. Then she embraced me with one hand and placed the other on my cheek. I embraced May around her torso, and then we pulled ourselves close so that the kiss would be tighter. The kiss lasted quite long – we forgot everything, and we felt everything. I was not conscious that there were a few people from their cottages spying on us and saying, "Those two are outrageously madly in love!"

From that one moment alone, the sweet scent of the summer breeze, the icy wind tingling within our hearts, the heat wave within our passion of a new feeling, and the luster purge that would make us feel like we would never let go – they all combined and swirled in ourselves to form something greater.

"Ash," May spoke silently after we broke from the kiss, "is this… still a downright lie?"

"I don't think so," I answered. "This is downright truth. And I'm saying sorry."

May understood what I meant and smiled. The last thing I saw before we got back to a livelier kissing was a tear that was shed from the pains that we endured; the tear that I thought would separate me and her forever.

And now that it fell down to the ground, we were now together again – and we hoped it would be that way…

Forever…

"_Stars beneath the sky tell me you are sleepy_

_Every time I wake up in the morning_

_Rain is falling down on me – I feel free_

_I caught you by surprise – I asked you to believe me_

_About I never had to say "I feel sorry"_

_And so I started, so I'm using…_

_I'm learning, I'm learning you now_

_Stars fading, free-falling into you…_

_This time I'm sure what I'm looking for_

_Unless what I want you to know_

_And I won't ever let you go… let you go…_

_Underneath the waves, I could feel you underneath the waves…_

_I'm learning, I'm learning you now_

_Stars fading, free-falling into you…_

_This time I'm sure what I'm looking for_

_Unless what I want you to know_

_And I won't ever let you go… let you go…_

_It's all been said and done to me – I know it_

_You gladly had the chance to prove my cause_

_And I don't know how much of this I lost_

_Anyone – I'll let you go my way…_

_This time I'm sure what I'm looking for_

_Unless what I want you to know_

_And I won't ever let you go… let you go…_

_And I'm ready for you know – ready for me now…_

_Ready for me now… ready for me now…_

_Show love…_"

* * *

Next chapter on Winner Takes Ash: Bringing Back the Young Days

"It seems all of a sudden," I suddenly thought, "I wanted to go back home and stay there forever – forget about everything. Maybe the journeys were just a bad dream." I paused in my thoughts and continued, "My head just hurts from what happened today. Everything seemed to go out of control."

…

"How did it go with May," Max asked.

I totally wanted to forget everything that happened with May. But that feeling inside me just couldn't stop bubbling. Maybe I do love May – not just a friend, but something else…

"Don't tell me you did something with May," Max started abruptly, "like you would do with that girl – Dawn."

"Shut up," I hissed, "you might wake the others."

"Oh I see," Max spoke and he started giggling, "you and May – well you know."

"Who cares if we did," I hissed at him.

**To be continued...**

* * *

**Existing chapters:**

**Prologue – The Pokemon Masters**

**Chapter 1 – Face-Off**

**Chapter 2 – Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3 – Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4 – Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

**Chapter 5 – Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience**

**Chapter 6 – Forest and Poisons**

**Chapter 7 – It's A Whole New Gym Leader**

**Chapter 8 – Brock's Flashback**

**Chapter 9 – Pains of the Past**

**Chapter 10 – Petalburg Pursuit – To the Maximum!**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Yeehaw! That was some Advanceshipping people – I repeat, advanceshipping! I hope you liked it, because I hated it myself! ROFLMAO! Ahem! By the way, the poem in the end of the chapter is not a poem, but rather a song. The title of the song is "Underneath the Waves" by Hale, the same artist who sang "Shooting Star," which lyrics are found in Chapter 3: Under the Showers.

Please, don't swoon too much over chapter 10 because I had a bad day when I wrote this chapter. And just after writing chapter 10 did I realize that I was supposed to draw a portrait of my crush… "_Pagkalami jud!_" (How sweet!) And this was the longest chapter that I wrote… took me three hours to complete…

Anyway, thanks for reading and keep sending in the polls as I asked. I set a deadline: October 15, 2008. Now you guys have a deadline to meet!

Love you all, Pokémon fans and maniacs!

**The author does not own Pokémon, Nintendo, or GameFreak. The author owns Winner Takes Ash, Pokémon Pearl, and Pokémon Diamond.**

**PowerZone**


	13. Ch11: Bringing Back the Young Days

**CHAPTER 11: BRINGING BACK THE YOUNG DAYS**

A flashback worth nothing is a flashback one has to cherish...

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 7) "Hello Dawn," he greeted her, "what brought you here?"

"Oh," she said, "I want to collect badges for a change."

"So I presume that you've come to challenge me," Brock said while he continued comforting the sobbing May. Dawn nodded slowly.

(Chapter 3) I fell to the conclusion that Dawn mistook me for some other trainer since I wore a different set of clothes and she didn't spot my bag that contained the sleeping Pikachu. I stood up to face her.

"I'm heading back to Pallet Town to visit mom and Professor Oak," I replied. "You were asking for a battle, right?"

"Uh," Dawn replied, "nevermind. I mistook you for some other trainer."

I was starting to sense something.

(Chapter 10) Norman laughed softly and said, "After you defeated me in that gym battle, I said to myself, 'That kid's got a chance.' And I was right – you made it to the top of the mountain."

I smiled to myself.

"You know what," he said softly, this time his tone more serious, "I think you have a greater potential – that makes you a more and a better… respected person."

* * *

**STORY PROPER:**

When the Maple family was asleep, I decided to take a look in the arena. I decided not to wake up Pikachu. I needed the time to be with myself – for a while. When May and I were kissing back in the beach, something within me seemed to have woken me up to a long memory. The conversation earlier maybe meant something. Maybe I did have a father – or maybe I was blocking out his identity in self-defense.

It was half-past eleven in the evening, but the door to the arena was unlocked. I went inside the half-lit arena. The arena looked the same when I battled Norman for the Balance Badge. The walls only looked different because they were painted brown and white. And in the corner of the arena was a machine – probably used for gym battles.

"It seems all of a sudden," I suddenly thought, "I wanted to go back home and stay there forever – forget about everything. Maybe the journeys were just a bad dream." I paused in my thoughts and continued, "My head just hurts from what happened today. Everything seemed to go out of control."

I sat down on the sidelines and looked around the silent arena. The battlefield was still and lifeless. But looking at the battlefield, I remembered how Grovyle pulled off the win against Slaking. It looked like as if I was seeing the victory before my very eyes in this lifeless battlefield. Following that memory were other pieces formed with battle victories and losses. One win or one loss was all that mattered. Gym battles did not really have to be in gyms.

I remember the time when I earned a badge without battling or competing, and also when I earned a badge outside a gym.

Erika's Celadon City gym burst into flames because of Team Rocket. Her top Pokémon, Gloom, was trapped between flames and death. There was nothing else I could do other than take a crazy stunt and return Gloom back to Erika. That's how I earned my fourth badge, the Rainbow Badge, in the Kanto region.

Whitney's Miltank was impossible to defeat in the gym. Outside the gym in her milk farm, Team Rocket's assault gave me the idea to counter Miltank's Rollout attack. It earned me the third badge, the Plain Badge, in the Johto region.

Every gym I conquered brought me one step closer on what I wanted to be – the Pokémon master. Every regional Pokémon League I faced gave me new things to acquire and more challenges to face. After every League, a new experience would always follow – another new region, another new League, and another new quest. And part of it involved the Battle Frontier, in which I conquered all the seven facilities and earned the spot to be one of the Frontier Brains, which I refused. From Brock to Team Rocket, then the Orange Crew, Falkner to Clair, Roxanne to Juan, the Frontier Brains Noland to Brandon, and Roark to Volkner, every gym battle or frontier battle needed a different strategy, because they were so unpredictable. And most of the battles had Pikachu in it.

Besides gym battles, I remembered the times when mom used to share stories about how the grassland Pokémon roamed freely in the fields, and how their actions and emotions reflected those of a human being. Mom herself was a Pokémon trainer, and she taught me about the will of the Pokémon and the passion of the trainers.

Of course, how could I not forget the day I got my Pikachu?

"Pika-chuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!"

"YAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGHH!!"

at least that was the first greeting when I held Pikachu close for the very first time in Professor Oak's laboratory. And there were more Thunderbolts to come. I still wondered to this very day – if there were only three starters in the Kanto region: Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle, why would there be Pikachu? Could somebody had caught Pikachu before and just gave it to Professor Oak for some reason? Or was it abandoned a long time ago before Professor Oak found it?

It's hard being a trainer, because I had to put everything into it. Trainers put their trust in their Pokémon. Pokemon whose trainers believe in them respect in return. At lease that's the natural cycle.

…

The flock of Spearow and Fearow chased us wildly outside Viridian City as I sped up in the bike I borrowed from a trainer, but it wasn't good enough to escape the flock, let alone the thunderstorm and rain. Suddenly, a bump in the road caused the bike to lurch forward and tripped the both of us off the bike. Pikachu dropped off and the flock started attacking it. I was weak – but I didn't give up – even repelling the flock away. It was the first time and the last time I returned Pikachu to its Pokéball. I had to run back to Pallet Town alone while being chased by the flock. Somehow, I tripped and I couldn't get up – all what I could do was watch the flock come to me ready for their assault. At that moment, a thunder rolled and lightning shot down from the sky. At the same time, without me telling it to come out, Pikachu just leapt from my shoulder and faced the flock. The lightning rolled down and hit Pikachu, which in turn sent out its Thundershock attack. However, the lightning maximized the Thundershock energy and it shocked the whole flock. This gave some dastric consequences though. But still after that incident, we became loyal buddies until this day.

Chikorita and Pikachu didn't really seem to be enemies outside battle. Sometimes, they would just get along – sometimes, they would be fierce against each other. It was just that Chikorita was trying to win all my trust. As a trainer, it's hard to deal with what my Pokémon feel. But when Chikorita evolved into Bayleef, things began to get a little tenser. In the end, however, things returned to normal.

Although I managed to defeat Paul in the Sinnoh League, I wondered about what happened to him. The last time I saw him was in the Pokémon League when we were all fighting the Team Rocket robot. But after that, he simply disappeared without a trace of where he was going. His methods of training were intense, and he's a very aggressive trainer. I wondered how his Pokémon feel about him.

…

While I was looking at the ceiling of the Petalburg gym, the gym door opened and Max came in with a Pokéball on his hand. It was ten to twelve midnight. It looked like Max hardly got some sleep at all. I watched Max as he went to the center of the arena and brought out his Sneasel.

I stood up and walked quietly to the door. Before I could get out of the arena, I suddenly froe in my tracks and my feet suddenly just got cols. I looked down and gasped. My feet were trapped in a small block of ice. Sneasel must've quietly used Powder Snow.

"Just wanted to surprise me, didn't you," Max asked.

"You got me," I admitted, "but I didn't really want to see your tactics – that is if you're training."

"I'm not training," Max said, "I just can't sleep."

I raised my eyebrows.

Max turned at me and spoke excitedly, "I'm just excited that I'm battling you tomorrow. I can't wait to see your whole mix!"

I gave him a thumbs-up and said, "Right now – we just need to sleep. Both of us need the energy for today's battle."

Max nodded and he yawned.

"Um, a little help here," I pleaded through chattered teeth. The ice in my feet was getting colder.

"Oh sorry," Max apologized. "Sneasel, Brick Break!"

Sneasel came forward and made a Brick Break on the ice. The ice shattered and I was free.

"Thanks," I said. "Now we gotta sleep."

Max returned his Sneasel, and the two of us went out of the arena.

"How did it go with May," Max asked.

I totally wanted to forget everything that happened with May. But that feeling inside me just couldn't stop bubbling. Maybe I do love May – not just a friend, but something else…

"Don't tell me you did something with May," Max started abruptly, "like you would do with that girl – Dawn."

"Shut up," I hissed, "you might wake the others."

"Oh I see," Max spoke and he started giggling, "you and May – well you know."

"Who cares if we did," I hissed at him.

"I do," Max spoke triumphantly. At this moment, he was always like a spy sneaking into the minds of others. Like I said, I wanted to forget everything that happened.

"So what were you doing in the gym," Max asked wonderingly and quietly after a short pause.

"Not really doing anything," I answered. "I was just looking up and wondering if there were more regions to come. Kinda like Team Rocket could be anywhere by now."

"Maybe," Max looked down.

'Well," I said to Max, "I was just remembering some memories as a trainer – just bringing back the young days, that's all."

Max and I entered the dark bedroom. We walked in quietly to avoid waking May and Pikachu up. The both of them seemed to be sleeping peacefully. We got into our beds – I slept on the mattress put on the floor between May's and Max's bed. I closed my eyes and forgot everything…

ASH VS. MAX

* * *

Next chapter on Winner Takes Ash: A Little Taste of Darkness

"Why are you worried of me," I asked May.

May looked down and said, "It just makes me think of people I hold close to me."

"And I'm one of them."

"And you're one of them," May repeated but changed the pronoun.

"Wow."

I was speechless. May really did consider me special. But this reminded me once more of Misty. She was still the closest one I could ever put in my heart.

"I like you so much Ash," May spoke softly and sweetly.

…

Just then, Max came to the patio.

"Ash," Max spoke, "are you ready yet?"

Norman suddenly looked at Max with bewildered confusion," Ready for what?"

"Max," I spoke, "I'm prepared."

"Now already," May spoke excitedly.

"Just what is going on," Norman spoke, puzzled.

…

"That is one AMAZING PIKACHU," Max was startled with this discovery after I let Pikachu demonstrate its Thunderbolt attacks.

"You know you should enter it in contests," May suggested. "It could come out top in the first round."

I've had enough of contests!

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Existing chapters:**

**Prologue – The Pokemon Masters**

**Chapter 1 – Face-Off**

**Chapter 2 – Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3 – Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4 – Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

**Chapter 5 – Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience**

**Chapter 6 – Forest and Poisons**

**Chapter 7 – It's A Whole New Gym Leader**

**Chapter 8 – Brock's Flashback**

**Chapter 9 – Pains of the Past**

**Chapter 10 – Petalburg Pursuit – To the Maximum!**

**Chapter 11 – Bringing Back the Young Days**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Sorry about the very short chapter… and I see that I'm receiving polls lately, so the previous poll still stands as is. Anyway, the next chapter will be Ash against Max… plus a little advanceshipping in the next chapter. Also, someone will die…

**The author does not own Pokémon, Nintendo, or GameFreak. The author owns Winner Takes Ash, Pokémon Pearl, and Pokémon Diamond.**

**PowerZone**


	14. Ch12: A Little Taste of Darkness

**CHAPTER 12: A LITTLE TASTE OF DARKNESS**

When it swallows you whole, you can't escape from it.

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 10) "May," I spoke, "what's up?"

"Ash, where are you and max," May's voice came in. "I'll be waiting in Professor Birch's laboratory. If not, I'll be heading home. Is Max already with you?"

"Yeah," I answered, "we're going down to the ferry. We'll meet you in a few days."

"Okay," she spoke and then she hung up.

(Chapter 8) "Hello again Brock," the young lady spoke. She had a nice, sweet, and tender voice. "Surprised to see me here?"

"I thought – you – you," Brock tried to speak straight but found himself in a serious state of fear and confusion.

"A miracle did happen," Gillian said, "you may not have probably known, but I was saved by a Gyarados."

(Chapter 10) May looked down and tried to find the words to continue. "Ash – I don't know what to say… I…"

She found herself saying nothing at all.

"May," I spoke and held her other hand, "you don't have to say anything. I just want you to know – I love you – more of a friend than a lover. You're better off with someone else than with me."

* * *

**STORY PROPER:**

Today's breakfast was unusually the quietest of all my life. I whispered to May, who was sitting beside me, and asked about this strange predicament in the family. May just muttered something about, "Dad's condition's getting worse," then I didn't catch all of what May said. After breakfast, I was in May's room viewing the yard and Pikachu sniffing some violets in the garden. I threw Staraptor's Pokéball to the yard. Out came Staraptor and it flew freely overhead the yard. I went out of the room and went to their second floor balcony. I rested my arms on the rails and watched my two Pokémon in the fresh open. While I watched my two Pokémon have their time, a little hand suddenly tugged my black shirt. I turned around and saw Max.

"What do your want, Max," I asked him politely.

"Ash," Max spoke, "when can we have that battle?"

I paused for a while and placed all my thoughts together. I was unsure if Max really wanted to do this – in the family's emotional condition. I looked down and tried to make a decision.

"Sometimes later," I answered, "maybe when things start to get a little better." I paused for a while to look at Staraptor, which was attempting a defensive Aerial Ace move; then I said to Max, "Have you made the rules?"

Max leant his hands on the rails, looked at the yard, and answered, "It's going to be a two-on-two double battle with no time limit."

"That sounds good enough," I said.

"I hope you're prepared Ash," Max spoke with some eagerness and confidence, "I've studied all your strategies when we traveled together with Brock and May. It'll be easy as slicing a cake!"

I laughed softly at Max's cockiness.

"Don't get too comfortable," Max taunted, "wait till you see what I've prepared."

"Okay Max," I said, "okay. I'll give you a holler if I'm ready."

"Sure," Max said, "anytime."

He got his hands off the rails and turned to go back inside the house. When Max went back in, I turned my head back to Pikachu and Staraptor. Some seconds later, I jolted from a Pokéball being hurled from behind and missing inches off my ear and popping open to reveal Beautifly. I turned around and saw May. She was wearing a tight red shirt and green Skitty-printed shorts. She came forward beside me and imitated my position, and watched the three Pokémon in the yard.

"Hi Ash," May greeted, "good morning."

"Hi May," I greeted back, "good morning."

Both of us felt the morning breeze embrace us as we watched the three Pokémon play happily in the yard.

"How are you feeling," I asked her.

May pulled out a little smile and answered, "I'm just fine."

"You're not worried about your dad?"

May's smile faded a little and she said, "Sometimes I'm worried. And when I'm worried of dad, I'm also worried of you."

I thought a Blastoise hit my stomach with a Skull Bash attack.

"That's nice of your concern," I said and it was my turn to pull out a soft smile. "I'm also worried of your father. You know, he's a very powerful gym leader. Maybe I only managed the win because Grovyle had more passion than your father." May pulled a frown. "Um, no, that's not what I meant – I mean that," but May held up a finger to stop me.

"I know what you mean," May said softly and she put down her finger.

I was just glad that May understood me.

"Thanks," I spoke to her after a little pause.

Beautifly and Staraptor were in the air and making circles. Pikachu went from one part of the yard to another while sniffing the wonderfully planted flowers. May suddenly threw another Pokéball to the yard and her Skitty came out. The two of them were the ones on the ground.

"Why are you worried of me," I asked May.

May looked down and said, "It just makes me think of people I hold close to me."

"And I'm one of them."

"And you're one of them," May repeated but changed the pronoun.

"Wow."

I was speechless. May really did consider me special. But this reminded me once more of Misty. She was still the closest one I could ever put in my heart.

"I like you so much Ash," May spoke softly and sweetly.

I didn't want to hear anything else. Having May like me so much just wanted me to pull out a very big smile.

"Is this a downright lie," I asked May as she took her hands of the rail. She placed one hand on mine and said, "I don't think so."

"May," I said to her.

She made a small sound and looked at me.

"I just wish we would be together," May spoke softly, "at least for now."

My wide smile suddenly became smaller as I said, "It's hard to choose between three of my female traveling companions on who to pick for a partner for life."

I looked at May. She was looking down to the ground and frowning.

It was depressing to see her in this state. When May would do, I would do my best to cheer up. Right now, there was only one thing in my mind to do. I took my arms off the rail.

"May," I asked, "do you need a hug?"

"I need a hug," May said after a short while.

I opened my arms and welcomed May in my arms. Both of us embraced each other. May was the nicest person among the three female companions. Even though we had some bitter quarrels in the past, we managed to patch them and resolve the conflicts. We were embracing each other for thirty seconds when a low voice came from the doorway.

"I knew this would happen."

Both of us released each other quickly. I looked to see who disturbed us and saw Norman. He was capped with dextrose connected to his left hand. Kenny was guiding.

"Dad," May seemed perplexed to see her father come to the balcony, "aren't you supposed to be resting?"

"And leave Ash to you for as long as you like," Norman seemed patient.

May admitted, "Okay dad. Maybe I was too dependent on you and Ash to help me get on."

"It's not a problem," Norman said and he was smiling, "it's actually fine with me that my daughter's going out with the Pokémon master."

Norman walked slowly toward one of the chairs in the balcony, got a chair, and sat down. He looked at the four Pokémon in the yard and began speaking, "You know. I wonder if what I dreamt last night can really happen. I'm just wondering…"

"Um," I asked nervously, "why are you here, sir?"

Norman looked at the skies overhead and said, "I'm here for a little fresh air. It's not very nice to be trapped in four walls that do not satisfy you so much."

He paused for a while. I wondered why walls would satisfy someone.

"Come to think of it," Norman spoke, "wait, you may leave now Kenny, thank you very much." Kenny nodded, stepped back, and went back inside the house. "Come to think of it," Norman continued, "the air connects all the walls of the world, no matter how isolated the walls can be." The morning breeze continued to flow over the wall and into our bodies. "When you're trapped between walls, you feel isolated with the world. That's why we have windows as our opportunities to let the energy of connections, the wind, inside. We all feel it.

"All of us are connected," Norman continued as he looked over the wall to the other houses in the subdivision. "Resting in that room looking at one wall makes me feel something – it's something that makes us feel the zeal to be with everything."

Just then, Max came to the patio.

"Ash," Max spoke, "are you ready yet?"

Norman suddenly looked at Max with bewildered confusion," Ready for what?"

"Max," I spoke, "I'm prepared."

"Now already," May spoke excitedly.

"Just what is going on," Norman spoke, puzzled.

"I'm coming," I spoke and left the balcony, leaving May and Norman. Norman had some words to tell May about what the deal with me and Max was. I went down to the yard and recalled Pikachu and Staraptor. I was ready for the first battle against, Max.

* * *

The light seeped through the arena windows, and the arena didn't look any different than last night. Max was already inside the arena. He was sitting in the sidelines polishing two Pokéballs. He said it was a two-on-two double battle. I stepped into the arena and took one Pokéball.

"Hey Max," I said, "I'm ready."

Max stood up from the sidelines and went to one end of the battlefield. "Let me show you how the Petalburg City gym leader battles," Max spoke passionately for a second then said bewildered, "for the first time."

"This won't be a gym battle after all," I said to Max. Pikachu sweated.

Something was missing, "Where's the referee?"

"Kenny's usually the referee," Max spoke, "but he's tending to dad now. Let's play this a fair game. And remember, it's a double battle."

Just then, the doors to the arena opened and May and Norman came in. May suddenly burst, "I'll act as the referee." She went to the referee's side and said, "I understand that this is a two-on-two double battle with no time limit. So if both sides are ready to go, then let the battle begin!"

"Pikachu," I spoke to my eager Pikachu, "you're on!"

"Pika-pika," Pikachu looked at me passionately and stepped forward to the battlefield.

Max threw his two Pokéballs into the air and called, "Sneasel, Skuntank, you're on!" The two Pokéballs popped open and both Sneasel and Skuntank appeared in the battlefield. I didn't have any idea where Max got the Skuntank.

"I know Skuntank's part-poison and part-dark," I analyzed both of Max's Pokémon carefully. "I better be careful not to have my Pokémon poisoned." Then I looked at max's Sneasel and analyzed, "Sneasel's a part-ice and part-dark Pokémon. I also have to be careful with its Brick Break and ice moves if I don't want Pikachu to suffer major damage." I looked at Max and thought, "I'll have to find new ways to overcome Max's Pokémon, since he's studied most of my battle tactics."

After careful analysis, I threw my second Pokéball to the battlefield and called out, "Heracross, you're on!"

I would be sure that Heracross's Stone Edge, Megahorn, and Close Combat would come in handy.

"Don't disappoint me son," Norman called to Max and he gave him a thumbs-up.

Max looked at his father and gave the thumbs-up back.

"Pikachu," I started the match, "Quick Attack on Skuntank! Heracross, Megahorn on Sneasel!"

Pikachu came at Skuntank quickly while Heracross readied a Megahorn attack for Sneasel.

"Cross them," Max called.

"Cross," I thought, bewildered by Max's attempt.

The crossing tactic used in a double battle was used if two Pokémon cross their target to transfix on the other one. Therefore, Heracross's Megahorn was aimed for Skuntank and Pikachu's Quick Attack was aimed for Sneasel. Both attacks hit, but they did little damage.

"Sneasel," Max called, "Powder Snow around you!"

Sneasel used Powder Snow around itself, it made a chilling air as a shield so that if Pokémon tried to come in contact with Sneasel, the Powder Snow would affect the attacking Pokémon.

"Pikachu," I called, "Thunderbolt on Sneasel!"

Pikachu directed a Thunderbolt attack on Sneasel so that I wouldn't need to go all the trouble to be affected by the Powder Snow.

"Shadow Ball on the Thunderbolt," Max called.

Skuntank used Shadow Ball and it hit the Thunderbolt. The two attacks exploded in the air, and Pikachu's Thunderbolt attack was cancelled.

"Heracross," I called, "Close Combat, now!"

"Now already," Norman wondered.

Heracross came at the nearest Pokémon, Sneasel. The Powder Snow affected Heracross, but it was all that Heracross needed to raise a few punches and kicks on Sneasel. Unfortunately, Sneasel saw this one coming and it defended itself from Heracross's punching and kicking attacks.

"Skuntank," Max called, "cross Sneasel then use Flamethrower!"

"Wh-what," I yelled, "Flamethrower?"

Heracross was too busy focusing on Sneasel, while Sneasel and Skuntank quickly exchanged positions. Heracross was now using Close Combat on Skuntank, while Skuntank fired off a Flamethrower attack on Heracross. Heracross blasted off with the fire impact, but it was too early to faint.

"Pikachu," I called, "Iron Tail!"

Pikachu came at Sneasel with Iron Tail.

"Skuntank," Max called, "Slash!"

Skuntank stopped Pikachu's Iron Tail with its Slash attack. Both Pokémon recoiled and landed on the ground. Now all four Pokémon were back in the original position before the match started.

"Maybe I should concentrate first on the defense before I launch any attacks," I thought. "But Heracross's only defensive move is Endure, which will come handy later. Pikachu on the other hand does not have any defensive moves, so I should think of anything that can help…"

"Pikachu," I called, "Thunderbolt on Skuntank now!"

Pikachu shot a Thunderbolt for Skuntank.

"Sneasel," Max called, "Sucker Punch!"

The Sucker Punch was swifter than the Thunderbolt. Pikachu's attack was cancelled.

"Heracross," I called, "Stone Edge on Sneasel!"

Heracross let out some stones from around its body and charged it for Sneasel. The rocks gave super-effective damage to Sneasel. But it didn't give up.

"Iron Tail, now!"

"Slash!"

Once again, Pikachu's Iron Tail and Skuntank's Slash came across each other and both of them rebounded. This meant that I had to find a way to cancel Skuntank's attack so that the Iron Tail would hit.

"Sneasel," Max continued, "Ice Beam on Heracross!"

"Heracross," I called, "Aerial Ace!"

Sneasel's Ice Beam went for Heracross, who was in the air. Heracross used Aerial Ace defensively in an attempt to dodge the Ice Beam attack.

"Okay," I called, "Heracross, Aerial Ace for Sneasel! Pikachu, Iron Tail once more on Skuntank!"

"He's at it again," Max thought. Then he called his next move, "Skuntank, Slash once more. Sneasel, Ice Beam!"

Skuntank got ready to cancel Pikachu's attack. Sneasel fired off an Ice Beam for Heracross.

"Cross them," I called.

The maneuver was perfect. Pikachu and Heracross crossed each other just as Skuntank and Sneasel were ready to fire their attacks. Heracross defensively used the Aerial Ace to get to Skuntank and hit it. Sneasel's Ice Beam fired off for Heracross, but mistakenly hit Skuntank because of the crossing tactic. Pikachu's Iron Tail made a clear landing for Sneasel.

Skuntank suffered both the Ice Beam and Aerial Ace damage and was frozen immediately. Sneasel was badly hit by the Iron tail attack. This was the outcome I expected after Max introduced the crossing tactic!

"Flamethrower," Max called.

While Skuntank was frozen in a block of ice, it managed to slowly breathe out a small bolt of flame. The ice melted quickly and Skuntank was defrosted.

"Man," Max commented, "I should've been more careful in those things."

"That was amazing," Norman remarked. "Ash used crossing perfectly to inflict double damage on Sneasel and Skuntank. I never knew that he would become so unpredictable."

"Okay," I thought. "I've broken their defense, now I have to concentrate on the offense." I had to make sure that Skuntank and Heracross would be the first to be eliminated. And to do that, I had to switch targets necessarily.

"Heracross," I called, "Megahorn on Sneasel!"

"Skuntank," Max called, "Flamethrower on Heracross!"

"Pikachu," I called, "Thunderbolt on Skuntank!"

"Sneasel," Max called, "Double Team!"

This time, I had to cross the attacks. Heracross got through the Flamethrower attack and went for Sneasel. Pikachu's Thunderbolt and Skuntank's Flamethrower met in mid-air and tried to push back the other. Sneasel created illusory copies of itself and evaded the Megahorn attack.

But something happened – as the Thunderbolt and the Flamethrower tried to push back each other, the two attacks suddenly absorbed the power of the other attacks and lost control. The result was a fusion of two attacks gone wild. And because Thunderbolt was a fierce attack, Skuntank and Heracross were not able to dodge it.

"Split power," Max called.

Skuntank and Heracross fainted from the split-power phenomenon created by Pikachu's Thunderbolt and Skuntank's Flamethrower.

"Heracross and Skuntank are unable to battle," May called.

"Darn it," Max spoke through gritted teeth, "I had Pikachu bait." He returned Skuntank.

"That was close," I spoke and returned Heracross.

"Hey don't be impatient," May called from the referee's side. "Just keep your cool and focus on the match."

Max just shot a cold look at his sister and then made his next move, "Sneasel, use Ice Beam!"

I responded, "Quick Attack!"

Sneasel shot out an Ice Beam attack for Pikachu. Pikachu however sped forward and dodged the ice rays. The Quick Attack found its mark.

"Brick Break!"

"Iron Tail!"

Sneasel's left arm and Pikachu's glowing tail came into contact. Both attacks rebounded.

"Slash!"

"One more Iron Tail!"

Both attacks found their mark and they rebounded.

"Don't give up now, Brick Break one more time!"

"Quick Attack once more!"

Both attacks found their mark once again.

"Ice Beam!"

Thunderbolt!"

Sneasel and Pikachu fired their attacks simultaneously. However, since the both of them were too close, a small explosion occurred and the both of them flew backwards. Pikachu and Sneasel were still launching their attacks. Then the split-power occurred once more and started to rebound on the both of them.

"Dodge it Sneasel," Max called.

"Pikachu," I called, "dodge the attack!"

Sneasel and Pikachu dodged the split-power attack. The both of them seemed very worn and tired.

"I know you can do it, buddy," I told Pikachu sincerely. Pikachu was panting with all its hard effort to stay on in the match. Sneasel was a very great match. "I know you can do it!"

"Pika-pika pi," Pikachu spoke courageously.

"That's what we really want," I said to Pikachu, "now let's give them a taste of our Volt Tackle!"

Pikachu started charging towards Sneasel and produced electric charges in its wake.

"Sneasel," Max responded, "Double Team!"

Before Pikachu's Volt Tackle could hit, Sneasel multiplied into five, then ten, then twenty. They formed a circle around Pikachu, which just cancelled its Volt Tackle attack. Pikachu tried to look around to find the real Sneasel.

"Faint Attack," Max called.

At once, the illusory Sneasel started going from side to side and struck Pikachu – only the real one physically struck Pikachu. Pikachu couldn't counter it. Every hit it suffered made Pikachu more worn out.

"Oh no," I panicked, "what could I do next?"

I could do nothing but watch Pikachu being surrounded by illusory Sneasel and being hit by their Faint Attacks.

But then, something unexpectedly came up. Pikachu responded to Max's attack by stiffening its body and enduring the continuous Faint Attacks then it emitted an electric ball from its body. The radius of the ball was about two or three meters. The Sneasel suddenly stopped their attacks and watched Pikachu doing its attack.

"That's Pikachu's Charge," Norman called.

I remembered what a Charge could do – Charge doubles the power of the next electric attack and also boosts the user's special defense. But it wasn't enough to find the real Sneasel in the battlefield. However, when I looked at Pikachu, its red spots in its cheeks suddenly produced small sparks of red, yellow, and orange bolts. What was Pikachu trying to do?

"Pi – ka – CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!"

Before I knew it, Pikachu let out a multi-barrage of yellow, red, orange, blue, and green bolts of lightning around the field. All of us were terrified – even I could just watch in shock. The barrage of colored Thunderbolts electrified every Sneasel in the field. The real Sneasel was hit by a blue Thunderbolt. The barrage paralyzed it.

'Sneasel," Max spoke, shocked.

"I don't even know what that attack is," May spoke from the referee's podium.

"That attack was really powerful," Norman remarked, "perhaps even powerful to really damage a ground-type Pokémon."

Pikachu was panting. The barrage it exerted must've drained most of its energy. But if I knew my Pikachu, its one that never gives up until the bitter end. So it was time to end the match with one final move.

"Pikachu," I called, "one final Iron Tail!"

Pikachu recovered from its breathlessness and started running towards Sneasel. If the attack failed or was blocked, it was all over.

"Sneasel," Max called, "don't give up! Use Slash!"

Unfortunately, Sneasel couldn't move from the shock of the new move. Pikachu's Iron Tail landed upon Sneasel's head. Since Iron Tail, a steel-type attack, was super effective against Sneasel, a part ice-type, Sneasel suffered extreme damage. At the force of the Iron Tail, Sneasel collapsed and fainted.

"Sneasel is unable to battle," May announced. "The match is over – the winner is Ash!"

Suddenly, Pikachu collapsed. Perhaps it was relieved that the match was over. Max returned Sneasel to its Pokéball.

"What attack was that," Max asked his father.

"I definitely have no idea," his father answered hoarsely. "That attack couldn't be Thunder because what Pikachu did was give out a multi-barrage of Thunder attacks. That attack could've been powerful enough to deal critical damage to a ground-type."

I was with Pikachu in where it had collapsed. Pikachu was still half-conscious. The massive attack really wore it out. May and Max came to me to check on Pikachu.

"Is Pikachu alright," May asked worriedly.

"I – I think so," I answered, "Pikachu just needs charging up."

I lifted Pikachu to my arma and walked to the arena door. In a few minutes, Pikachu was fast asleep on my bed. Max and May were gathered with me in the room. Maybe they had some questions to ask.

"I didn't expect this," Max spoke, confused. "When did Pikachu learn hat attack?"

"I have no idea Max, really," I spoke, confused myself. "I only knew the Charge attack, but the attack after that seemed so new."

"What attack would you call it," May asked.

I thought about it for a while and then I answered, "Guess I'd call it Volt Barrage."

Volt Barrage – I repeated the name all over in my mind. Pikachu learned a new move I've never seen before. It might be probably stronger and even wicked than Thunder. Max went out of the room and said, "I'll take my Pokémon to the Pokémon Center for some healing." I suggested following Max, so I carried my sleeping Pikachu to the Pokémon Center. The trip took twenty minutes, and after an hour – all my Pokémon returned to normal condition.

Pikachu recovered from the electric discharge. The first thing I did with Pikachu was explain the attack it produced. Somehow, Pikachu even didn't remember what it did in the battle. In the end, I told Pikachu that it would be named Volt Barrage. I also explained some of its effects and I guessed when the right time to use the attack would be.

* * *

The week passed by and I had some special training in the Petalburg beach. Since only a few people were around, we decided to have some practice in the beach and maybe let Pikachu try its new move. The practice didn't quite go well – Pikachu could only limit itself to Charge then Thunderbolt. Some Krabby were electrified, but they retreated back to the water.

"I don't know how it really went," I said to myself.

Pikachu was still waiting.

"Let's try it one more time," I said. "Use Charge then Volt Barrage!"

Pikachu stiffened its body then let out an electric ball of energy come out to raise its electric power. Then in an attempt to make a Volt Barrage move, all what it did was produce an orange Thunderbolt. Something odd seemed to be going on.

"One more time," I spoke. Pikachu repeated the process and this time gave out a red Thunderbolt.

Again and again I told Pikachu, and again and again Pikachu would only give one shower of yellow, red, or orange Thunderbolt attacks. And then somehow, Pikachu started to give off green, blue, pink, purple, and gray Thunderbolt attacks. I was stunned and amazed. Pikachu even didn't get everything at all.

And even as I let Pikachu use its Volt Tackle attack, the electric charges that stood on its wake went from green to purple to blue to red.

That afternoon, I consulted Professor Birch and Professor Oak about Pikachu's odd-colored Thunderbolt attacks. Both of them were working on a mall laboratory in Auraspark Island. Unfortunately, they seemed to give no results and explanations. I asked them about their search, and they just said, "We're not yet chocked with the results about the legendary Pokémon."

Professor Ivy, Professor Elm, and Professor Rowan seemed to provide very little information about Pikachu's funny electric mannerism. I was disappointed for the little help. But I still smiled to myself and thought that my Pikachu may be the only one in the whole world that could send out other colored electric attacks.

I looked behind me and Nurse Joy gave me my recovered Pikachu. Pikachu leapt onto my shoulder.

"How are you feeling," I asked my buddy.

"Pi – pika, pi," Pikachu answered gleefully.

* * *

"That is one AMAZING PIKACHU," Max was startled with this discovery after I let Pikachu demonstrate its Thunderbolt attacks.

"You know you should enter it in contests," May suggested. "It could come out top in the first round."

I've had enough of contests!

"Maybe not," I answered her.

I watched Max's Sneasel perform an Ice Beam on a rock. Then when the ice froze the rock, it used Brick Break on every side of it. The result was a magnificent sculpture of Max. "I doubt Pikachu could even do that," I spoke.

Some days ahead seemed to be the ordinary ones. I had no special training for fear that onlookers would take their envy to Pikachu. Max frequently went to the arena to practice and often hung out in Norman's greenhouse. May either stayed in the Greenhouse to watch over her Pokémon. Caroline and Kenny tended to the house chores and looked after Norman. Norman was resting in his bed – he was breathing heavily and his temperature kept on taking a roller coaster ride.

One night, I stayed in May's room and took out a sheet of paper. I wrote a letter of reply from Misty's letter (the one in Chapter 2). At first, I found it hard to write because Max and May kept on going into the room to get some things. I made sure that the both of them wouldn't find out what I was doing. I kept the letter as simple at it could be. But I also had to consult the dictionary (I admit – I have poor spelling and vocabulary; I even got confused with the word 'tomorrow', whether it had two 'm's or two 'r's).

That night, when the letter was done, I reread my letter to check for any grammatical and spelling errors. I found none and I was pleased. But just as I put down the paper, I heard some kind of commotion from outside. I stood up and hid the paper in my bag, then I went outside to find out what was going on.

"Come with us quickly," came May with a face of fright on her face.

"Why," I asked, confused with what was going on.

"It's dad," she spoke, then my eyes widened in horror. It couldn't be. "Dad's unconscious and he's not breathing."

"No, no," I muttered, then we ran to the yard.

An ambulance was already waiting and three doctors helped Norman lying on a stretcher to the ambulance. Max and Caroline were sobbing heavily and feared the worst to Norman. I couldn't believe what was going on – my heart was pounding so fast in the suspense.

Everything happened so fast that I didn't even keep track of things.

We were able to arrive at the hospital twenty minutes later (traffic was light). The doctors rushed Norman to the emergency room. Max, May, and Caroline went inside with the doctors. I waited in the hallway with Pikachu. The both of us were scared.

Thirty agonizing minutes seemed like thirty torturing eternities as every minute passed like sand. I hoped Norman would make it through. And when the emergency door opened five minutes to half-past nine, I expected a doctor to come out and tell me some good news. However, it was only May and she was walking slowly towards me.

"May," I spoke to her, concernedly, "what is it?"

May just looked up at me with beady eyes. There was no trace of happiness in her. I responded those beady eyes with an open mouth and wide eyes. Now I knew.

"Don't tell me," my voice trembled, "he's not – not…"

"I'm afraid," May started sobbing, "he is…"

I shook my head in disbelief, my heart just dropped like a Geodude hit by Water Pulse, and it seemed that I didn't catch my breaths. Both of us tried to seek comfort by embracing each other so tightly. I could do nothing to ease both of our troubles as I cried my heart out. May sobbed and sobbed on my chest and she could only make out a few words I could understand, "Dad didn't make it. He's dead."

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE MAPLE FAMILY?

* * *

Next chapter on Winner Takes Ash: Nightmares

"Guys," I spoke slowly, "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize," May spoke softly and she brushed a tear from her cheek.

"Life must go on you know," Max spoke as he took off his eyeglasses and wiped a tear away from it.

Even Pikachu agreed with the both of them.

…

"I think I should," I gave in to my decision. I lay back down on the bed.

"You should try to think of a happier one," May advised.

"I just can't," I spoke, "the nightmares just keep coming back to me."

May was a concerning person, and this was one part I loved about May.

"Ash," May spoke gently, "the nightmares might come back – but I'll be here always to block them. Don't worry, I'll fend them off and take care of you, okay?"

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Existing chapters:**

**Prologue – The Pokemon Masters**

**Chapter 1 – Face-Off**

**Chapter 2 – Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3 – Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4 – Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

**Chapter 5 – Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience**

**Chapter 6 – Forest and Poisons**

**Chapter 7 – It's A Whole New Gym Leader**

**Chapter 8 – Brock's Flashback**

**Chapter 9 – Pains of the Past**

**Chapter 10 – Petalburg Pursuit – To the Maximum!**

**Chapter 11 – Bringing Back the Young Days**

**Chapter 12 – A Little Taste of Darkness**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Just a minor spoiler – that's all… Norman wouldn't really die, but I guess I messed up with the plot and ended up with this… Anyway, Chapter 13 will be something exciting...

As of August 25, 2008, here are the temporary results for the poll: Who do you want Ash to be with in the end? Misty – 21, May – 20, Dawn – 15, another girl – 10. OMG! Misty caught up!

Thanks to blackdragonofdoom for the numerous reviews… um, you really filled in my hotmail inbox for the past week. And like blackdragonofdoom, I hope you guys will also read and review and give me some suggestions. Take care, Pokémon fans! The air connects all the walls of the world.

**The author does not own Pokémon, Nintendo, or GameFreak. The author owns Winner Takes Ash, Pokémon Pearl, and Pokémon Diamond.**

**PowerZone**


	15. Ch13: Nightmares

**CHAPTER 13: NIGHTMARES**

The greatest nightmare in his life is why he existed at all...

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 9) "How are your Pokémon doing," he asked, "um, all this time?"

Lucy looked at him, smiled a bit, and said, "They're still the same as it was when I battled Ash – they're still pure offensive and all their attacks were made for them to go all out. How about yours?"

Brock took out his four Pokémon – Forretress, Toxicroak, Sudowoodo, and Aggron.

"Those look cool," Lucy remarked as she stood up and took a closer look at them. "Yeah, they're just my kind of Pokémon."

(Chapter 11) "Just wanted to surprise me, didn't you," Max asked.

"You got me," I admitted, "but I didn't really want to see your tactics – that is if you're training."

"I'm not training," Max said, "I just can't sleep."

I raised my eyebrows.

(Chapter 2) "Ash," said a soft voice behind me. I jolted and turned around to find May looking at me. Did she know?

"M-May," I said slowly, "what is it?"

May just looked at me like she just saw a ghost. Without any answer, she just turned away and left the hospital room. I didn't understand what happened.

"Oh no," I groaned.

"What did you think you were doing?"

* * *

**STORY PROPER:**

"We did everything we could," one of the doctors explained to us. "The fever already shot to the climatic stage in which he couldn't make it. This – is – painful." The doctor didn't want to say anything more as he went back into the emergency room.

We were all silent for a while, unsure what to do next.

Caroline came out of the emergency room and said, "May, Max, Ash, proceed home immediately and sleep you three. I'll stay here for the whole night."

We didn't raise any complaints. One of the doctors offered us a ride to May's and Max's home. By eleven-thirty in the evening, we were home and our faces were melancholy and depressed. Kenny was already asleep in the living room. We didn't try to talk as we went back to our bedroom. Without changing, we just got into our beds and tried to sleep.

"I'm scared," May squeaked.

"Me too," Max responded.

I got out from the mattress and went to the window. "I don't know what's going on inside me," I admitted. Looking outside the window, I remembered something that just sparked within me from nowhere – but all too quickly, it faded. I turned back to May, Max, and Pikachu.

"Guys," I spoke slowly, "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize," May spoke softly and she brushed a tear from her cheek.

"Life must go on you know," Max spoke as he took off his eyeglasses and wiped a tear away from it.

Even Pikachu agreed with the both of them.

May and Max went to sleep after that. When they were already asleep, I went to the bedroom door and turned off the lights, then I got onto the mattress and lay down. I looked up at the ceiling and wondered of what would happen next. Before I realized it, I slept too soon… but not too long afterwards.

* * *

_I walked down a small path in a meadow full of flowers that stretched beyond what I could see. The path led to a lake with crystal-clear waters; and on the lakeside a maiden, who had her back turned on me. I approached the lake slowly to speak to the maiden. And when I was close, the maiden turned around and looked at me. She had a charming smile, a lovely face with kind eyes, brunette hair tied by a red bandana, and an average poise for a young woman. She was wearing a red vest, black skirt-like clothing with navy blue pants underneath it, and black and yellow sneakers. The maiden and I looked into each other's eyes and found essences of reflections. Suddenly, the maiden reached for her bandana on her head and she untied it. When the bandana was off, she let it fly to the breeze and let her brunette hair flow gently. The irresistibility of this maiden just wanted me to touch her face – even for one – but none came, and she quickly turned into dust._

_The surrounding around me suddenly changed – what was first a meadow of fresh flowers suddenly became a graveyard – a barren wasteland like no life had ever come out from it. A strong wind with an evil aura blew across the barren field. From where I stood, I could see the maiden a few meters ahead of me. She was on her knees and reaching out for something._

_I looked to where she was reaching out and saw a Pikachu. Its expression was an angry one – an evil wave that surrounded everything in where I stood. The maiden was not reaching out, she was pleading._

_"Help me," she cried._

_Then the Pikachu released a multi-colored Thunder attack with a blast radius and crumbled the ground underneath it. That attack went straight for the maiden._

_"NO!" I screamed and rushed to save her._

_But I was a shade too late and the maiden was lost in the blast radius of the Thunder. I fell down on my knees and cast a very angry glare at my Pikachu. I tried to reach in my pocket for any Pokéballs but I couldn't find any. When the blast radius was gone, I saw the maiden – still on her knees, but she was unconscious and she was not breathing – she was dead._

_Then the evil Pikachu turned to me and exerted the same attack. Would I suffer the same fate as the maiden? I could only watch the full force of the blast radius of the Thunder come to me with a wave of gray and black lightning._

_"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"_

"ASH!"

The next thing I knew, someone was slapping me hard in the face. I sat up quickly on the mattress, and panted hard. That nightmare seemed so vivid – and every detail from it just kept on playing in my mind. I looked to my right and saw May kneeling on the mattress and looking at me.

"Did you have a nightmare," May asked, concerned.

I just nodded and looked down. I didn't want that nightmare to happen again. I looked outside the window. It was still dark. I checked the clock – it was still two-thirty in the early morning. Max and Pikachu were still sleeping.

"I better get back to sleep," I spoke.

And with that, May went back to her bed and I lay back on the mattress.

Norman had said, "The air connects all the walls of the world, no matter how isolated the walls can be. When you're trapped between walls, you feel isolated with the world. That's why we have windows as our opportunities to let the energy of connections, the wind, inside. We all feel it. All of us are connected. Resting in that room looking at one wall makes me feel something – it's something that makes us feel the zeal to be with everything."

"The air connects all of us," May murmured. "It also connects me to dad."

* * *

Caroline came back inside by three that afternoon. We were all silent as we watched her prepare candles and light them. The candles were placed on the living room table. All of us gave our blessings to Norman. Since Norman was a famous icon in Petalburg City, the news about Norman's death spread quickly. Some people came to the house to offer their condolences. Caroline could only be affected by their words. Some trainers who battled with Norman and either won or lost also came to the house to pay their respects. I could recognize Nikolai – who took his chance to battle Norman and lost in the past.

That night after dinner, we gathered around the living room and kept silent. In our hands and minds, the family reflected their good and harsh times with their father. I reflected on the gym battle – and I also took his words by heart. The air connects all the walls of the world, he had said. All of us are connected with the wind. Two hours later, the session ended and everyone got into their beds. Kenny prepared his bed in the living room and kept watch over the candles.

Pikachu couldn't sleep. I didn't mind Pikachu as it leapt down from the bed and sat up on the windowsill and watched the moon go by. I was already lying on my mattress, about to sleep, when a hand tugged my shoulder. I turned around and saw May.

"Not now May," I was not in the mood to talk about anything.

Without realizing it, May silently took her pillow and crept out of her bed. Next thing I knew, she lay beside me. Although my back was on her, she just kept on drawing closer and she did her best to snuggle to my comfort.

"_Do I look like a Magnemite to you,_" I thought irritatingly. I didn't mind May so close. I just closed my eyes and slept.

* * *

_Silent – cold – black everywhere. I was standing on nothing – I was looking at nothing. But the moment I took the first step, light blinded me. I shielded my eyes and I took time to gain vision from the sudden brightness. When I was able to see clearly, I found myself standing on grass in the middle of nowhere. I could only see a figure of a woman ahead. The woman suddenly went towards me. And when she was close enough, I recognized who it was – it was Misty. Her hair was not tied – it was loose._

_Misty and I were close._

_"Ash," she started speaking. Somehow, fear started to overcome her, and she continued, "I don't know what to – to say."_

_"What are you talking about," I spoke._

_Misty pointed behind me._

_I turned around and saw another figure. Although I couldn't make out the descriptions quite well, the figure somewhat seemed to resemble that of a young man. His face wasn't visible enough._

_"Who's he," I asked her._

_Misty just shook her head and said, "I'm sorry."_

_"What are you talking about?"_

_This question was answered when she shoved me aside and ran to the young man. My mouth dropped as I watched Misty approach the young man. Suddenly, both of them embraced each other. My heart dropped and my pulses froze. Misty turned around and shouted, "I'm sorry Ash!"_

_I could feel myself falling down, yet I never landed. Something kept me on falling down – down – down to the depths of nothing. While falling into nothing, I realized what Misty was talking about. REJECTION – the ultimate fear._

_Silence once more…_

_A flash of thunder…_

_Silence – in my mind, in my soul, in my mind…_

_A strong repeating beating sound – somewhere in my heart, contracting and expanding…_

_Dreams erupt in my head – with laughing voices of Misty, me, and Pikachu, while spending the rest of our lives in paradise – dreams which also led me to voices of fear, rejection, pain, and – torment._

_Torment then joy, regret then passion, fear and then hope – then silence, somewhere in the middle; silence that led me somewhere in a place I didn't know._

_Silence – in my mind, in my soul, in my mind…_

_In my mind… fear_

_In my mind… love_

_In my mind… when I'm turning away from everything to be with her…_

_Misty's speaking in my mind._

I woke up with a start – I was breathing heavily as I sat up on the mattress. May was still sleeping beside me. The dream suddenly became all too vivid in my mind it almost seemed impossible not to imagine. I realized the ultimate fear in my life through that one dream – rejection. I looked at the wall clock – it was only one in the morning. I didn't want to go back to sleep, afraid that I would get another nightmare – maybe one more horrible than the last two ones. As I was about to get out of the mattress, a soft hand gripped mine. I turned around and saw May.

"I know you had another nightmare," she spoke. "You were kicking and struggling in your sleep."

I looked down and nodded.

"You should try to get a more peaceful rest," May spoke gently.

"I think I should," I gave in to my decision. I lay back down on the bed.

"You should try to think of a happier one," May advised.

"I just can't," I spoke, "the nightmares just keep coming back to me."

May was a concerning person, and this was one part I loved about May.

"Ash," May spoke gently, "the nightmares might come back – but I'll be here always to block them. Don't worry, I'll fend them off and take care of you, okay?"

I was beginning to get tired. Since sleep meant another risk, and May wanted to act as a shield – I had no choice. Before my eyes closed, May had me snuggle to her comfort. I was under May's warm arms. My eyes closed and I thought no more.

* * *

_The soft sound of a stream rang through my ears as the stream to my right flowed down to a river. I was walking on a bumpy path through a small part of the woods. The weather was a bit chilly, but the conditions were not as worse as I expected. I couldn't figure the exact reason why I came to this point, but I suddenly remember about following someone._

_"I'm here, I'm over here," came a yell to my right._

_Upon arriving at the river, I looked to my right and found someone. That person was running towards the edge of the river, beyond it what seemed like a small waterfall up ahead. I chased after the person to the edge, until the both of us stopped there._

_"Hey," I said, "what are you doing?"_

_The person turned around. It only took me one second to realize the girl with navy blue hair looking at me and motioning some sort of smooch. And then without fear or anything at all, she just moved forward and leapt down the cliff._

_"W-wait," I called and moved forward/_

_Upon looking down the waterfall, I knew it was safe – it was only a fifty foot down the cliff. The only problem was that I couldn't see where that girl went to. There was only one thing I could do – I leapt over the cliff to find the girl. It was a fifty-foot leap to the chilling water._

_I tried to swim to the surface, but the harder I kept on swimming, the farther the surface was. I felt something tug at my left leg. I looked down and saw the ghostly figure of a girl whose hair frilled in the darkness of the water depths. The girl was not wearing anything. I tried to scream, but only a bubble came out of my mouth. But I could only hear the girl's chilling echo in the water._

_"You're coming with me…"_

_I was starting to lose my breath. I tried to kick away from the ghostly figure, but it seemed impossible. When I looked once more at my left leg, I let out a gasp of horror – MY LEG WAS FUSED WITH THE HAND OF THE GHOSTLY FIGURE!_

_"You're coming with me…" the ghostly figure said again, "we're going to hell!"_

_The last thing I saw was red blazing eyes from the ghastly figure, and I lost all my breath in one scream._

_"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!"_

I thought I was about to die in my sleep. May woke me up with her Skitty's Doubleslap attack. It was already morning.

What did those nightmares mean – could they mean the exact fate that I would face while I was with them? Could those vivid horrors overtake my sanity?

WILL THEY?

* * *

Next chapter on Winner Takes Ash: A Night in the Meadows

"The night can get awfully cold," May spoke as she wore her black sweater, which she brought along with her.

"Yeah," I agreed when the cold breeze blew along. "Unfortunately, I didn't bring along any sweater with me."

"That's too bad," May spoke apologetically. "I wish there's something that would keep you warm."

"No it's okay," I smiled. "I'll try to be warm as possible."

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Existing chapters:**

**Prologue – The Pokemon Masters**

**Chapter 1 – Face-Off**

**Chapter 2 – Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3 – Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4 – Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

**Chapter 5 – Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience**

**Chapter 6 – Forest and Poisons**

**Chapter 7 – It's A Whole New Gym Leader**

**Chapter 8 – Brock's Flashback**

**Chapter 9 – Pains of the Past**

**Chapter 10 – Petalburg Pursuit – To the Maximum!**

**Chapter 11 – Bringing Back the Young Days**

**Chapter 12 – A Little Taste of Darkness**

**Chapter 13 – Nightmares**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Sweet! I loved this chapter – even it was short! But I especially liked the third nightmare I made! "You're coming with me…" and then Ash's leg fused with the arm of the ghostly figure. This is too much! I took the line, "You're coming with me. We're going to hell…" from Jigoku Shoujo – I love that line!!

Anyway, a reminder for the next chapter. The next chapter will be the climatic point of the Advanceshipping. A confession: I was supposed to put in a lemon in the next chapter, but I had to scratch it out because I'm not good in visualizing those icky stuffs…

**The author does not own Pokémon, Nintendo, or GameFreak. The author owns Winner Takes Ash, Pokémon Pearl, and Pokémon Diamond.**

**PowerZone**


	16. Ch14: A Night in the Meadows

**CHAPTER 14: A NIGHT IN THE MEADOWS**

Only can you figure out the answer to all your mysteries, can you ever find the happy ending...

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 13) "Did you have a nightmare," May asked, concerned.

I just nodded and looked down. I didn't want that nightmare to happen again. I looked outside the window. It was still dark. I checked the clock – it was still two-thirty in the early morning. Max and Pikachu were still sleeping.

"I better get back to sleep," I spoke.

(Chapter 10) Norman laughed softly and said, "After you defeated me in that gym battle, I said to myself, 'That kid's got a chance.' And I was right – you made it to the top of the mountain."

I smiled to myself.

"You know what," he said softly, this time his tone more serious, "I think you have a greater potential – that makes you a more and a better… respected person."

"I think there's still more than just being the Pokémon master," I spoke.

(Chapter 12) "Dad," May seemed perplexed to see her father come to the balcony, "aren't you supposed to be resting?"

"And leave Ash to you for as long as you like," Norman seemed patient.

May admitted, "Okay dad. Maybe I was too dependent on you and Ash to help me get on."

"It's not a problem," Norman said and he was smiling, "it's actually fine with me that my daughter's going out with the Pokémon master."

* * *

**STORY PROPER:**

May – one of the names that had been planted in my mind – and her name is still lingering in my thoughts. When I look at her – I feel like I'm in a new kind of dimension.

It was a late Saturday afternoon – a few weeks after Norman died and was put to rest. May, Pikachu, and I were spending the cool day by the hillside. Beautiful flowers and fresh grass were in the meadows, and only a few acacia trees were there. May brought out her Beautifly, Skitty, and Munchlax to enjoy the cool breeze. Pikachu leapt down from my shoulder to join the party. From under the acacia tree, I could see May smiling – but deep inside me, I could still feel her so sad – so alone.

I sat down by the acacia tree while I looked at May and the Pokémon play joyfully. I frowned and wondered if I had done the right things to a girl. I wonder what I had done with Misty, May, or Dawn – what were the things I had done to make them happy? And who would I take among them out – to be my life partner? To be with me forever? Before I could answer those questions, I needed to start somewhere – somewhere within myself. Man, life started to become more confusing – but that's how it's supposed to go.

"Hey Ash," I heard May call and I looked up. She was waving at me – perhaps she wanted me to join in. "Come join us!"

"No thanks," I called back, "in case I might ruin your fun."

"Aw," May said, "don't push yourself. Come join us."

I smiled and I stood up to join them. May, her Beautifly, Skitty, Munchlax, Pikachu, and I ran around the meadow like kids – we were playing tag and screaming so loud like total idiots. When May had to be the "it," the first thing I noticed was that May was approaching me with a "you-won't-get-away-from-me-this-time" look. Since I was a fast runner, I got away from May easily. Pretty soon I got tired and May jumped on me. I lurched forward under May's weight and the both of us fell to the ground. The both of us just laughed and we were on the ground – May on top of me.

Both of us looked into each other's eyes and – it sparked… the spark that just started to light up.

"Ash," May spoke softly.

"May," I spoke back.

We tried to find the right words to describe our expression. I guess it was saying the right words at the right place in the right time.

"I love you, Ash."

"I love you, May."

May drew her head close and I raised me. Pretty soon enough, both of us gave in for a deep kiss and we embraced each other – more sincerely than we did in the beach a few weeks ago. Our tongues slowly coiled around the other as we brought our friendship to a new level – relationship. Although the kiss was only thirty seconds and we broke apart, it seemed like three long hours. "Maybe," I seemed to have thoughts lingering on my mind, "could May be the girl I'm looking for?"

The two of us sat up as Pikachu and May's Pokémon went to us.

"Are you still lonely," I asked her.

"I'm still quite lonely," she spoke, but she smiled and continued, "but with you around, it feels like all my loneliness just vanish."

"What if you took into consideration," I spoke gently, "if I just left you and probably kill myself?"

"Then I'll swear at myself," May answered confidently, "and I'll die too."

"Who do you love more – your father or me," I asked and this gave May some thinking.

"Ash," she said, "I can't really answer that question."

"Why?"

"It's too hard – too rhetorical," May said and she paused for a while before continuing, "if you were to ask me who I really love – you or Drew, I'd say with a big shout, Ash."

"Ha," I scoffed and I said, "I dare you."

"I might just do that," Max spoke. I flinched for May taking it seriously.

May stood up, looked at the sky, and shouted, "ASH KETCHUM, I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!!"

"You really don't need to answer that question," I could've told her that – but the next thing I knew, I found myself being kissed to a deeper level. "I love you too, May," I spoke. We let the afternoon pass into night, but we decided to spend the bright evening by the acacia tree. Skitty and Beautifly designed beautiful lanterns using their Blizzard, String Shot, and Silver Wind. Blaziken lit the fireproof lanterns, and then Beautifly hung them on the trees. May and I and our Pokémon shared the night together.

"The night can get awfully cold," May spoke as she wore her black sweater, which she brought along with her.

"Yeah," I agreed when the cold breeze blew along. "Unfortunately, I didn't bring along any sweater with me."

"That's too bad," May spoke apologetically. "I wish there's something that would keep you warm."

"No it's okay," I smiled. "I'll try to be warm as possible."

I brought out my Corphish to stay with us. Then Corphish and Blaziken combined their Bubblebeam and Flamethrower attacks that soared to the sky and exploded in a shower of sparks. It seemed like watching fireworks from a close distance.

"You like the view," I asked May softly.

"Like the view," May answered sweetly, "I love it!"

She seemed to be silent for a while then she spoke, "I only had two reasons to be all over you, Ash. First, I'm doing my best to stay as happy as I could be. Next, I wanted to prove that I can be the one for you."

I looked at May wide-eyed.

"The night before dad was gone," May explained, "he called me to his room and we had a conversation."

_"May," Norman spoke weakly, "tell me what's going on between you and Ash."_

_"Huh," May said to her father with a trace of confusion, "m-me and A-Ash? Nothing dad," she lied. "W-We're just friends, th-that's all."_

_"I know very well that there's something between the two of you that I don't even know," Norman clarified._

_"I just said we're friends," May retorted._

_Norman sat up on his bed and chuckled, "May, honey, when it comes to Ash, you become crazy over him."_

_May admitted, "Okay dad… I don't care what we have to say any longer…" she took a breath and said, "Dad, I love Ash. He's a wonderful guy. Even if we had bitter quarrels in the past, I know how Ash deals with it. That's why I fell in love with him."_

_Norman nodded and said, "Well if that's the case…"_

_May prepared for the consequences._

_"If you really like him so much, or if you do really love him so much you cannot control the feelings you have for him," Norman said, "then why don't you tell him straight to his face? I know he can deal with it."_

"Really," I couldn't believe it, "wow."

Both of us leaned on the trunk of the acacia tree. I thought extremely great things wouldn't come, but a shooting star just streaked across the starlit sky.

"You saw that," I asked May.

"You bet I did," she answered, "Let's make a wish."

Both of us made our wishes. I didn't have more than one wish to think, "_Let me find the true one soon._" What was May wishing anyway? When the both of us were done, both of us leaned back and continued gazing at the stars. Since I was the male, I had to hold the breeze-protected May close to me.

"You really know how to make a girl comfortable," May remarked.

"Um, it's nothing," I spoke, rather embarrassed, "people always said that I was no good in love. Professor Oak only gave me one advice about human love: 'just don't overdo it.' That's what Norman had said to me!"

The name of May's father always returned her depression. I guess Norman's name was taboo. I lifted her spirits back up by planting a soft kiss on her cheek. "May," I spoke, "I know it's hard to forget your dad. You'll really miss all those enjoyable things with him. But like Max said: life must move on. Like I said, I never knew if I really had a father or not."

May smiled a little.

This brought me somewhere else. Just when I thought that it would finally be over, something clicked in me – Dawn and Misty. Now I wondered how worried sick the two of them would be for leaving them.

"May," I said.

"What is it," she said.

"I – I have to go back," I said after a long pause.

May rolled out from my embrace, looked at me, and said, "Go back where?"

"Um," I said, "Cerulean City. I promised Brock, Dawn, Misty, and Tracey that I'd come back soon." I sighed and continued, "It's already been a month and I haven't seen them since. I just have to go back."

"Now already?"

I interrupted, "No not now. As soon as possible."

"Wh-what?"

We fell silent for a moment.

"I'm sorry May," I said and I had to admit, "I already said that it would be hard for me to pick one of you three on who my life partner should be. I mean, I shouldn't spend the whole time being around you."

"B-but you c-can't leave," May started sobbing, "I've grown so much attached to you."

I stood up, looked at May, and said, "Right now, the only thing that matters most is your father. You can be with me soon when I come back."

Pikachu leapt on my shoulder.

"Ash…"

I looked down on May and smiled, "May, don't worry… it won't be an easy task. Who knows? You might just be the one."

"A-Are you leaving me?"

"Pretty much," I answered, "but only temporarily. Please don't take it seriously."

I know it would pain May to see me go, but it was probably for the best. I couldn't take May much more to the next level without dealing with the other two girls. So I've evaluated May and Dawn… and it seemed that they were equal. Misty's evaluation came next – and I had to try my best to stand up to whatever I would face.

"We gotta go back," I suggested, "the air's getting chilly and it's late."

"Yeah," May said and she stood up to return all of her Pokémon. I returned Corphish and the two of us went back to the neighborhood.

It had been almost two months since the story started, but two months was only a small fraction of the whole story. Maybe the answer would come in a few more… years.

* * *

When I woke up the next day, I still found myself being embraced by May, though I had no idea that May would be sleeping on my mattress for the night. The morning light seeped through the bedroom windows. Pikachu and Max were already awake, and judging by the two familiar sounds in the yard, both of them were there. I got myself off from May, stood up off the mattress, and went to the bedroom mirror. It was not small of big, but the vertically oval shape was just right for a full-body shot. Man, my hair was messy and I looked wiped from two days of no bath.

I found my bag in the closet, opened it, and took out my green towel. I proceeded to the bathroom to take an early morning bath. When I finished my bath, I looked at myself again in the bathroom mirror – I looked clean, confident, and smooth. Hmm, I wonder how May would think…

When I came back in the room, May was still sleeping on my mattress. Since we slept very late last night (probably around one-thirty), May would wake up a little bit later. So I had to take my chance.

I changed into my usual set of clothes and got out another piece of paper. I wrote the following: "_May, thanks for everything. Seeing you and Max live together despite the pains and trials, I had to go back… I want to know where my father is. But my real purpose is Cerulean City… Don't worry May, I'll be back. Lots of love, Ash._"

I left the letter on May's table, put my towel back in my bag, got my bag, and walked out the bedroom door.

Caroline met me downstairs.

"Going already, Ash," she said.

I looked at her and said, "Yes, ma'am. Thanks for everything. It's been a pleasure to be your guest. Condolences from the Ketchum family."

"Thank you very much, Ash," Caroline said.

And with that, I left the house and went to the yard, where Pikachu was smelling the flowers. I called Pikachu and told it that we were going already. Max probably went off somewhere.

"_The air connects all the walls of the world. Even if I'm far away from you, May. The air will call you – and you will call me._"

WHAT'S NEXT FOR ASH?

* * *

Next chapter on Winner Takes Ash: The Amazing Transformation 

"Hey Misty," Daisy said, "going somewhere?"

"Yeah," she answered as she picked up her backpack, "you remember the Aqua-palooza Pokémon Contest – it's held in Goldenrod City and I'm going there."

"So who'll take care of the gym," Daisy wondered.

Misty winked and answered, "Don't worry. I'm going to post a list for challengers to put reservations."

…

"Pelipper," Sakura called, "Hyper Beam!" Then she said to Misty, "Misty, if you're not going to do something – you'll lose."

"Come on Psyduck," Misty said angrily to it.

Psyduck surfaced and faced the clearing mist. And just as it was almost going to be over, something incredible happened.

"N-no way…"

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Existing chapters:**

**Prologue – The Pokemon Masters**

**Chapter 1 – Face-Off**

**Chapter 2 – Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3 – Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4 – Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

**Chapter 5 – Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience**

**Chapter 6 – Forest and Poisons**

**Chapter 7 – It's A Whole New Gym Leader**

**Chapter 8 – Brock's Flashback**

**Chapter 9 – Pains of the Past**

**Chapter 10 – Petalburg Pursuit – To the Maximum!**

**Chapter 11 – Bringing Back the Young Days**

**Chapter 12 – A Little Taste of Darkness**

**Chapter 13 – Nightmares**

**Chapter 14 – A Night in the Meadows**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

As of September 1, 2008, the partial results of the poll are as follows: Misty – 23, May – 20, Dawn – 17, Another Girl – 10. WOW! Misty really took the lead this time and Dawn is catching up! By the way, in the preview of the next chapter, Misty Alone, what do you think happened to Psyduck? Did it learn a new move, is it evolving, or did it just become powerful? LOL

The next chapter is also a filler like Chapter 9: Pains of the Past - you can chose to skip to Chapter 16, or read where Misty would be going.

**The author does not own Pokémon, Nintendo, or GameFreak. The author owns Winner Takes Ash, Pokémon Pearl, and Pokémon Diamond.**

**PowerZone**


	17. Ch15: The Amazing Transformation

**CHAPTER 15: THE AMAZING TRANSFORMATION**

What unexpected event can possibly await Misty when she stumbles upon something expected?

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 13) "I'm scared," May squeaked.

"Me too," Max responded.

I got out from the mattress and went to the window. "I don't know what's going on inside me," I admitted. Looking outside the window, I remembered something that just sparked within me from nowhere – but all too quickly, it faded. I turned back to May, Max, and Pikachu.

(Chapter 5) "Misty," Daisy called, "what are you doing?"

"Get out," Brock called.

'Watch out Misty," Tracey called.

"I WON'T," Misty cried out, "I'LL DO IT – FOR MY…"

(Chapter 10) "Hello sis," Max greeted.

"Hi Max," May greeted back, "so how was Professor Oak?"

"He was great," he spoke jubilantly, "man, I worked so hard with him – and he even gave me a thank-you present!"

"Wow," May spoke excitedly, "what is it? I can't wait to see what it is!"

* * *

**This is the second filler in the story - like Chapter 9. You can choose to skip to Chapter 16. But if you want to fully grasp the whole details of the story, then read on.**

Things were just about to settle in Cerulean City, and Misty did not have enough challenges lately. Brock, Dawn, and Tracey almost seemed to feel at home themselves – although Brock was only a short trip away from his hometown. Misty's sisters were out and they were probably doing some shooting for an upcoming fashion show.

It was a Sunday afternoon, and Misty was training with her Pokémon in the pool. She decided to bring out her Kingdra, Gyarados, Milotic, Starmie, and Politoed for power training. She stayed on the poolside and decided to let Gyarados and Kingdra take a go. Their moves were still good and effective, and Misty felt pleased. Tracey came in when Misty ordered her Starmie to use Psychic on Politoed.

"Hey Tracey," Misty greeted once she saw Tracey by the poolside, "what's up?"

"Nothing really," Tracey replied as we wiped his sweat in his forehead, "I just wanted to cool down here in the pool."

Misty sighed and she returned her Gyarados and Kingdra.

Tracey removed his shirt and placed it on the sidelines. Misty looked at him wonderingly as he stepped back from the pool and watched him go up the twenty-foot diving board.

"What are you trying to do," Misty called.

"Just watch," Tracey responded as he grabbed the last rail of the ladder and went up into the diving board. He went over to the edge and looked down. "I've been trying to perform this diving technique for a long time, but I haven't been getting the hang lately."

Tracey stepped back a bit from the diving board so he could make a big leap from it. When Tracey stood ready, he went forward then leapt into the air and somersaulted all the way to the water. His timing was perfect – the last second before hitting the ground, he was already in a diving position. Misty applauded at Tracey's diving performance.

"You should perform in the Olympics," Misty remarked after Tracey surfaced from the water.

Daisy came into the arena afterwards.

"Hey," one of her sisters, Daisy, said as he came into the arena with a small poster in his hand, "this one just arrived now."

Misty stood up and approached the woman. "What's that poster you have?"

Daisy handed the poster to Misty, and Tracey got out from the pool. Misty unrolled the poster and read out, "To all aspiring water Pokémon trainers, your chance to show what you have is about to come. Presenting the first ever Johto Aqua-palooza Water Pokémon Contest to be held in Goldenrod City – April 25th. Don't miss this chance and show the whole world your wonderful water Pokémon. See you there."

"Well," Daisy said once Misty finished reading the poster, "are you participating?"

Misty continued reading the poster and suddenly smiled, "It says here that the overall champion reward gets ten Water Stones, a Contest Ribbon that also counts for the Grand Festival, and cash prize." Misty's eyes glowed when she read all of those rewards as she turned to Brock and Tracey and said, "Ha, you bet I will participate!"

Just then, one of her Pokéballs suddenly popped open from her pocket, and Misty felt a bit afraid of what would happen.

"Psy?"

Misty's Psyduck appeared before the three of them and waved its hands in the air before letting it rest on the sides of its head.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Misty sighed.

"Yeah," Tracey said as he leant down to Misty's Psyduck. "You wanna participate too, huh?"

Psyduck looked up at Tracey and tilted its head. "Psy-duck?"

"I'll take that as a yes," Tracey said, and Misty grumbled. Brock stood there with his arms folded.

"It won't really be a bad idea," Daisy agreed. "Psyduck just needs a lot of training."

Misty looked down at her Psyduck and punched it lightly on the top of its head. "Come to think of it – you really need to shape up your skills if you don't want me disappointed – got it?"

Psyduck didn't seem to feel Misty punching it on its head and it just tilted its head on its side.

Daisy and Tracey looked at Misty hopefully. "Should I or should I not," Misty thought to herself as she let go of Psyduck. "The contest will be a week from now, but as a matter of fact – Ash hasn't returned yet." She sighed at this hard decision. Probably – Misty would need some time to think about that one.

* * *

Three days later and after a lot of rigorous training and planning with Gyarados, Kingdra, Milotic, Starmie, Politoed, and Psyduck, Misty and her Pokémon prepared with their things to set off for Goldenrod City to participate in the Aqua-palooza Water Pokémon Contest. She had woken up early in the morning to prepare her things for the contest. She would have to get to the city alone – and she didn't need to be worried on who will take care of the gym – even if her sisters were gone.

"I've been waiting for when such an event would come," Misty thought joyfully to herself as she put the last stuff inside her bag. "It's been long and I'll be sure to come out of what I have."

Just then, Daisy came into Misty's bedroom.

"Hey Misty," Daisy said, "going somewhere?"

"Yeah," she answered as she picked up her backpack, "you remember the Aqua-palooza Pokémon Contest – it's held in Goldenrod City and I'm going there."

"So who'll take care of the gym," Daisy wondered.

Misty winked and answered, "Don't worry. I'm going to post a list for challengers to put reservations."

Daisy nodded as Misty got her bag and stepped past Daisy.

"Good luck," she wished her.

"Thanks," Misty said and she walked down the hallway to her living room.

Tracey was just about to prepare lunch when he saw Misty on the living room. "So you're going already," he asked her.

Misty was in her all-blue attire: a blue shirt, blue jeans, and her blue sneakers – and her hair tied the same way like she always did. "Um, yeah," Misty said nervously. "Well – wish me luck."

Tracey nodded and watched Misty walk out of the door.

"When will you return," Tracey called.

"About a week," Misty called back, and Tracey closed the door.

Daisy came out from the bedroom hallway. Tracey said, "It just reminds me of Ash – the more determined Misty can get, the more she just keeps on going." Tracey chuckled for a moment before continuing, "There's nothing more than a gym leader who can go for the extremes." He folded his arms. "I should've joined in myself and used Marill."

Tracey went back to the kitchen, and Daisy turned on the television in the living room. The program that was progressing when Daisy turned on was a news program – and something in that news program made Daisy suddenly act up.

"Tracey," Daisy called, "look at this!"

Tracey suddenly went into the living room, "What is it?"

Daisy and Tracey fixed to the reporter in the news. "For a special report – Pokémon Trainer and Sinnoh League Champion Ash Ketchum has been spotted in the Ram Ferry from Littleroot Town in the Hoenn region to Pallet Town in the Kanto region. Ash Ketchum and a few of his Pokémon were seen training in the ferry deck." Then the news switched from the newscaster to a clip on Ash's training, where his Pikachu was showing off oddly-colored Thunderbolt attacks. "And it also seems that his Pikachu, the same one he used in the Championships, is giving off colored Thunderbolt attacks, an abnormal mannerism for a Pikachu."

It was Tracey's first time to notice that Pikachu was suddenly giving off colored Thunderbolt attacks. Daisy took the remote and turned off the television.

"At least we know Ash is coming," Daisy said.

Tracey looked around for a moment and asked, "Speaking of which – where's Dawn?"

"I guess she'll be taking care of the gym while Misty's gone," Daisy answered.

* * *

In the Cerulean gym, Dawn, her Feraligatr, her Empoleon, and her Poliwag were training in the pool. She had been shaping up her coordinating skills for the past two weeks for any upcoming Pokémon contest. While having Empoleon maneuver a combination of Steel Wing and Hydro Pump, Misty came into the gym. Dawn looked around.

"Misty," Dawn called.

"I'll be in Goldenrod City," Misty said. "You already know why, right?"

Dawn nodded.

"Are you sure you won't come," Misty asked.

Dawn got out of the pool, squeezed out water from her hair, and answered, "Yes. I'll be staying here – to take care of the gym that is."

"You know what my responsibilities are, right," Misty said. "I'll be back in a week."

"Sure," Dawn said.

Misty looked over from Dawn to her two Pokémon. "Those two really look great," Misty remarked. "You should've come with me to participate."

"Don't worry," Dawn replied. "Besides, I can't just always participate in a Pokémon Contest without looking into it carefully. But all what I have right now is something I still need to build up – experience."

"You sound like Ash," Misty muttered.

Dawn turned around and went back in the pool. When she surfaced from the water, she bellowed, "Bye Misty, and good luck."

Misty waved a hand and left the arena.

Dawn looked at the arena door and thought deeply, "It really feels something to be both a gym leader and a coordinator for Misty. If I were in her shoes, I guess it's an all-out job for myself." Dawn just sighed and turned back to her two Pokémon. "That's perfect, Empoleon," she cheered once her Empoleon mastered the combination Dawn had wanted it to practice. Empoleon raised its steel-hard wings while surging a powerful Hydro Pump attack then spinning itself around over the water.

On the way to Viridian City, Misty took out her Psyduck – not because it got out by itself, but she wanted Psyduck to be a little more disciplined.

"Okay," Misty started a bit impatiently, "I'm going to teach you what discipline means."

Psyduck rested its hands on the sides of its head, and tilted its head to the right.

Misty had Psyduck for a very long time, but it was as if she and her Psyduck made very little progress all this time. Psyduck's powers in battle were in mediocre level, unless something outside acted on its head, because Psyduck's source of power came from its mental ability. "If only Psyduck were smarter," Misty thought, "it would've grown quicker." But Misty knew that power alone would not make Psyduck grow any better. For Psyduck to evolve, Misty would need the effort, courage, and determination of her Psyduck and the bond they would keep throughout the whole time. And perhaps that discipline would start if Psyduck did not develop hydrophobia.

Misty and Psyduck arrived in a small pond just outside the city. "A good spot to train," Misty thought.

Psyduck stepped forward to the lake and touched the surface with its webbed foot. The moment Psyduck stepped on it, it recoiled and yelled in an overacting manner. This kind of manner just kept Misty pissed off.

"That's it," she thought bitterly. And with one swift hand, she grabbed Psyduck by its head and threw it into the water. Psyduck landed on the pond. Misty sat down on the shore of the pond and watched Psyduck surface and splash around maniacally.

"Deal with it," Misty called.

For a while, Psyduck kept splashing around like a maniac, but then it calmed down and grew bored. Misty decided to keep Psyduck there for a moment to find anything that would help. "At least it got quiet," Misty muttered.

While Misty was looking at Psyduck wade slowly around in the water, someone came up behind Misty and tapped her on the shoulder. Misty jolted and turned around. A young woman was looking down at her and greeting Misty with a smile.

"Hi Misty," said the girl, "remember me?"

Misty looked up and blinked for a while. When she remembered, Misty stood up and smiled, "Hi Sakura. How have you been?"

The pig-tailed girl leapt up and answered, "I've been fine – lately." She took out her badge case and showed Misty twenty-four gleaming badges. "And this is the progress while we've been away."

Misty gleamed. "Wow," she said, impressed by Sakura's progress, "you really made incredible progress as a Pokémon trainer."

Sakura nodded and she looked at Misty's Psyduck, which was still wading in the pond. Sakura looked at Misty's Psyduck wonderingly and said, "Hey Misty, is that the same Psyduck when we had a trip to get your badges for the gym?"

Misty looked at her Psyduck and said, "Yeah, that's Psyduck."

"So it hasn't evolved yet," Sakura continued.

"No," Misty answered with a hint of embarrassment, "and I doubt that it will evolve."

"It will someday," Sakura said and she sat down beside Misty.

The two of them were looking out to the pond where Psyduck was and they stayed silent for a moment, before Misty broke the silence.

"Where were you headed anyway, Sakura," Misty asked.

Sakura looked at Misty and answered, "I was on the way to Goldenrod City to participate in the first ever Johto Aqua-palooza Water Pokémon Contest." At this point, Misty's eyes glowed as Sakura continued, "I caught water Pokémon just for that when I heard the news."

"Wow," Misty said, "I'm on the way there too." She looked at her Psyduck and continued, "But I think Psyduck still needs discipline."

"So who's taking care of the gym?"

"Oh," Misty said, "one of my sisters Daisy, then Tracey, and Dawn."

"Who's Dawn," Sakura asked curiously.

"She's just a friend," Misty answered, "a Pokémon coordinator. She didn't want to come – she just wanted to stay in the gym to shape her training."

"Oh," Sakura said, "that's too bad."

The both of them watched Psyduck wade to the shore and come out of the water. Psyduck felt soaked, but it somehow didn't mind whether it was wet or not.

"How's the water," Misty asked.

"Psyayayay," Psyduck moaned as it did its usual mannerism (the hands resting on the side of its head). Psyduck walked slowly over to Misty and Sakura and sat between them.

"Serves you right," Misty said.

"Hey Misty," Sakura said to Misty as if a light bulb lit over her head. "I know how we can be prepared for the Pokémon contest."

"How?"

Sakura stood up and waved a first in front of Misty and said, "Let's have a battle – with the Pokémon in the water."

Misty thought of how it would go and she answered, "That's not a bad idea."

…

Misty and Sakura were on the shore of the pond as they got ready with their two Pokémon. Sakura threw her Pokéball into the pond and she called out, "Go Pelipper!" Sakura's Pokéball opened in the air and her Pelipper soared out into the air and on the updrafts on the pond. Misty got ready with her Pokéball.

"Go Poli…"

"Psy!"

Psyduck leapt into the water in front of Misty.

"Wh-what?"

This was odd – really odd for Misty. Maybe Psyduck was showing determination or just showing off. "As a water Pokémon trainer," Misty thought, "I must not hold back to my decision, and allow my Pokémon to battle in their will." Then she nodded and said, "Okay Psyduck – you face Pelipper."

"Misty," Sakura said, "are you sure you're up to this?"

Misty nodded without hesitating.

"Okay," Sakura said and the match commenced.

…

For ten minutes, Pelipper gained the upper-hand. Misty could only concentrate on how Psyduck could survive in the battle against a fast diver and a fast flyer. Luckily enough, Psyduck just kept on dodging Pelipper's attacks by evading them or diving underwater.

"Mist," Sakura called, and Pelipper created a mist that covered some parts of the water.

"Psyduck," Misty made her move, "use Disable now!"

Unfortunately, Psyduck's psychic attacks and the move Disable could only be effective on one condition – if the headache would act up. And this wouldn't be good move yet.

"Pelipper," Sakura called, "Aerial Ace!"

Even if Psyduck saw this one quickly and dove underwater to try and escape it – Aerial Ace was no escape. Pelipper struck from nowhere out from the mist and into the water and hit Psyduck's head – fortunately. Now Psyduck began to act up. It was thrown outside the water and it flipped back into the water.

"Water Gun, Misty called.

Psyduck did its best to maneuver a Water Gun attack, but it was still a mediocre. The Water Gun could only go no further than three feet.

"Aerial Ace again," Sakura called.

Once again, Pelipper came out from the mist and found its mark – hitting Psyduck on the head. Psyduck was screaming in intense pain. The headache was acting up really quickly.

"Pelipper," Sakura called, "Hyper Beam!" Then she said to Misty, "Misty, if you're not going to do something – you'll lose."

"Come on Psyduck," Misty said angrily to it.

Psyduck surfaced and faced the clearing mist. And just as it was almost going to be over, something incredible happened.

"N-no way…"

Suddenly, Psyduck screamed its entire head out and then its body glowed in a searing light. Misty and Sakura shielded their eyes, but Misty could still make out what was going on. Psyduck's form was suddenly changing from a small webbed duck into a taller Pokémon with a spiky head, longer arms, longer legs, and a more proper posture. When the light cleared, Misty couldn't see Psyduck anywhere.

"Psyduck," she called, "where are you?"

Pelipper scanned the pond to search Psyduck. But unexpectedly, something just dove up from the water and came up behind Pelipper. Before Pelipper could even react, it found itself being swiped by a Golduck.

"A Golduck," Misty wondered.

"Misty," Sakura said suddenly, "your Psyduck evolved!"

"My Psyduck – WHAT?"

"Evolved!"

The Golduck that made a surprise attack on Pelipper leapt out from the water and into the shore. The Golduck looked at Misty with such determined look. Misty realized that her Psyduck changed – not only physically, but also emotionally. She was entering into a new era of change.

"Psyduck," Misty started slowly, "is that you?"

The Golduck looked at Misty and nodded. Misty smiled.

"Okay, Golduck," she pointed back to the water, "let's show what we've got!"

Misty's Golduck, now more obedient than it was when it was still a Psyduck, leapt back acrobatically into the water and shielded itself from sight against Pelipper.

"Even if Golduck's hidden," Sakura said, "Aerial Ace will never fail!" Sakura called out to her Pelipper, "Use Aerial Ace!"

Pelipper swirled around in the air for a while and it dove down into the water. A split second after Pelipper dove into the water, Golduck leapt up from the water, and Pelipper was following in close pursuit and gaining on Golduck in intense speed.

"Disable now," Misty called.

The beautiful thing about Disable in battle was that even if it couldn't see an approaching for using Aerial Ace or an unavoidable attack, the Disable move could be used to negate the move. Golduck's Disable located Pelipper, and Pelipper's Aerial Ace attack was canceled.

"Okay," Misty called, "let's finish it off with Slash!"

Golduck gained swiftly downwards toward Pelipper. Before Sakura had the chance to react, Golduck's Slash attack found its mark – it was like watching two samurai warriors battling to the death in a dark field. Golduck landed on the shore, while the Pelipper behind it landed on the water. When Pelipper surfaced, it fainted.

"Amazing," Sakura said, stunned by Golduck's performance. She returned her Pelipper to its Pokéball and went over to Misty. "Now there's no reason why your Golduck shouldn't participate in the contest," Sakura said. "Who knows? Your newly-evolved Psyduck can be the overall champion in the contest."

Misty nodded. The two of them shook hands to express their thanks.

"Gotta go, Misty," Sakura said.

"Oh," Misty reacted, "but I thought we were going to the same destination."

"I'm heading back to Viridian City to heal my Pokémon," Sakura said. "I'll catch you in Goldenrod City." She walked the opposite direction of Misty and waved a hand. "See you around, Misty!"

Misty waved a hand and called, "See you around, Sakura!"

She watched her friend head out from the pond's shore and into the woods. Her Golduck stood by her side. Misty looked eagerly at her new Pokémon and reach out a hand. And at the same time, she threw out her five other Pokémon into the water – her Gyarados, Kingdra, Milotic, Starmie, and Politoed. "Guys," Misty said and she introduced Golduck to the five of them, "welcome the newest member of the team, Golduck!"

Golduck raised one arm, and the five other Pokémon nodded. It seemed that her team was finally complete for the contest.

"A proper team shows acceptance and friendship of one another," Misty thought as she watched her six Pokémon play around in the water. "That's what Ash taught me about the meaning of a team."

* * *

Misty arrived in Goldenrod City the following morning with the help of a friendly trainer who also was on the way to the same destination for a different reason. The first thing Misty did in the city was heal her Pokémon in the Pokémon Center, where Nurse Joy was waiting. And when Misty finished healing her Pokémon, she was about to leave when a voice called behind her.

"Misty," said a woman's voice, "you came!"

Misty turned around and saw Whitney, the Goldenrod City gym leader, approach her.

"Whitney," Misty felt surprised, "it's good to see you. And you've – grown!" That fact was true. Whitney was a few centimeters shorter than Misty when she, Brock, and Ash were traveling in the Johto region. Now, Whitney was approximately two inches taller than Misty. Whitney turned around once.

"Thanks," Whitney said. "Are you prepared?"

"Yeah," Misty answered. Then she realized something, "So it was you who sent the poster to the Cerulean City gym!"

"Of course," Whitney answered, "it's your special occasion." She flicked back her hair and continued, "To tell you the truth, I'm one of the contest judges." The both of them laughed.

"That's a burden," Misty remarked.

"Not really," Whitney opposed. "It might be fun." The two of them stood near the Pokémon Center doorway, before Whitney spoke. "What do you say we get hot choco in a restaurant?"

"Sure!"

…

"Two hot chocolates," said the waitress and two cups of hot chocolate were passed to Whitney and Misty. They were outside a café and enjoying the cold morning.

"So how's the gym doing," Whitney struck a conversation.

"Doing well," Misty answered and she took a sip from her choco. "I had lots of challengers lately – and it's an even win-loss streak." She looked at the television that had been placed outside the café, which was situated beside the sea, and she took another sip of her choco. "Well, I just hope that things will go well while I'm gone."

Whitney chuckled and said, "I'm sure your sisters will be responsible enough."

"I'll think twice about that," Misty remarked.

The program in the television suddenly switched from its normal programming to a flash report.

"A flash report," Whitney wondered.

The reporter of the flash report appeared in the television and started, "We interrupt this program for a special weather report. Possible signs of a tidal wave will appear sometime today off the coast of Goldenrod City. Meteorologists explained that the cold wind and the loss of water depth of the shores that may occur today can contribute to a possibility of a tidal wave.

"And to make things worse, the Ram Ferry sailing from Littleroot Town to Pallet Town is in danger of being swept from the possible tidal wave."

Misty did not pay attention to the rest of the details. She heard the name "Ram Ferry" just a few days ago back in Cerulean City – and she realized that something was wrong. "Oh no, Ash," she muttered.

Misty stood up suddenly and took off her sneakers. She ran to the shore.

"Misty," Whitney called and she ran after Misty, "where are you going?"

"I'm heading out there," Misty answered. Without listening to Whitney's warnings, Misty threw three of her Pokéballs into the sea – her Gyarados and Milotic were a few feet away from her, and her Kingdra was ready for Misty to surf in. Misty got into her Kingdra – and the four of them started heading out into the sea.

While Misty was surfing, she saw the outline of a ferry just a little to her left – it was the ferry the news reporter was talking about. And a few miles ahead was a large tidal wave. Misty could see some things blinking in the tidal wave.

"Could they be attacking the tidal wave," Misty wondered.

Misty arrived near the tidal wave where a band of trainers and their Pokémon were doing something to weaken the tidal wave. Misty waded around with her Kingdra to find any signs of Ash.

"PIII – KAAA – CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!"

She heard the familiar voice – and to her right, a barrage of Thunderbolt attacks on the wave. Misty turned to her right and saw Ash, who seemed pleased with what he was doing. Misty tried to come close, but horror overcame her once she looked on the fear in Ash's eyes. She could only make out the words Ash was mouthing, "No, Pikachu!"

Then to her horror and fear, she saw Ash dive into the water.

"Ash, what are you doing," Misty called, but Ash didn't seem to hear her.

Misty had to act fast – otherwise, Ash would be in greater danger. The force of the tidal wave could drown him, but she knew how intense Ash's determination was. "Ash would do anything to protect his Pokémon from danger," Misty thought.

For thirty seconds, she couldn't find any signs of Ash even behind the tidal wave. She was afraid that Ash might not surface at all.

"Oh no," Misty thought. Her Gyarados and Milotic, which were searching frantically underwater for any signs of Ash, dove up and told Misty that they found something. Misty nodded and she dove into the water – thankfully, nobody seemed to have spotted her.

Her Gyarados and her Milotic rushed ahead of her to two figures that were visible in the pitch black darkness. Misty dove underwater until she could make out the nearer figure to Ash. Her two serpent Pokémon were helping Pikachu. Misty got hold of Ash and she started diving up with Ash on her arms. Ash's weight seemed to be pulling her down, but she felt that something was pushing the both of them back to the surface. It was her Kingdra.

Misty felt her head and Ash's surface the water. She looked closely at Ash and tried to listen to any pulse. Even in the midst of the intense battling of the other trainers, she couldn't hear one.

"Ash," Misty spoke to his unconscious body, "please stay strong, please!"

She held him close as her Kingdra rushed the both of them back to safety.

IS ASH STILL ALIVE?

* * *

Next chapter on Winner Takes Ash: Tidal Terror

"We meet again," he started and turned around.

It was Paul.

"Paul," I was caught by surprise. What could he be doing here?

"I'm sensing that you want to know what I'm doing here," Paul spoke. "Well if you want to know, I'm heading to the Kanto region to get some Pokémon before I go back to the Hoenn region to challenge the new set of Frontier Brains."

…

"A TIDAL WAVE WARNING," a voice echoed throughout the ferry, A TIDAL WAVE WARNING. THE BOAT WILL HAVE TO BE EVACUATED IMMEDIATELY!"

"That won't work either," I shouted.

Suddenly, the passengers rushed to the deck to take a view of the approaching – fast approaching tidal wave.

"Evacuating the ship won't do," I shouted.

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Existing chapters:**

**Prologue – The Pokemon Masters**

**Chapter 1 – Face-Off**

**Chapter 2 – Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3 – Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4 – Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

**Chapter 5 – Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience**

**Chapter 6 – Forest and Poisons**

**Chapter 7 – It's A Whole New Gym Leader**

**Chapter 8 – Brock's Flashback**

**Chapter 9 – Pains of the Past**

**Chapter 10 – Petalburg Pursuit – To the Maximum!**

**Chapter 11 – Bringing Back the Young Days**

**Chapter 12 – A Little Taste of Darkness**

**Chapter 13 – Nightmares**

**Chapter 14 – A Night in the Meadows**

**Chapter 15 – The Amazing Transformation**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Whoa! So Psyduck evolved! For a moment, I thought Psyduck might've learned a new move. But I guess one of the ones who reviewed in this story got the guess correctly. By the way, the partial results of the poll can be viewed in my profile. You can send in your votes by reviewing or sending them via e-mail to my e-mail addresses found in the bottom of my profile.

And if you read the preview, you might've noticed: "The new set of frontier brains." A new set of Frontier Brains, really? So Noland, Lucy, Tucker, Greta, Annabel, Spenser, and Brandon will be changed – no not really. There's just a new batch of frontier brains in the Hoenn region. Anyway, the first hints will appear in Winner Takes Ash 4. You better wait for at least two years… sorry people.

**The author does not own Pokémon, Nintendo, or GameFreak. The author owns Winner Takes Ash, Pokémon Pearl, and Pokémon Diamond.**

**PowerZone**


	18. Ch16: Tidal Terror

**CHAPTER 16: TIDAL TERROR**

Ash is not alone, because he's got allies - whether he knows them or not.

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 14) "Ash…"

I looked down on May and smiled, "May, don't worry… it won't be an easy task. Who knows? You might just be the one."

"A-Are you leaving me?"

"Pretty much," I answered, "but only temporarily. Please don't take it seriously."

(Chapter 10) "A downright lie," May spoke, "you mean you're telling me that the opposite of that was the truth?"

"Well," I had to admit," somewhat like that."

May looked down and tried to find the words to continue. "Ash – I don't know what to say… I…"

She found herself saying nothing at all.

(Chapter 13) "We did everything we could," one of the doctors explained to us. "The fever already shot to the climatic stage in which he couldn't make it. This – is – painful." The doctor didn't want to say anything more as he went back into the emergency room.

We were all silent for a while, unsure what to do next.

Caroline came out of the emergency room and said, "May, Max, Ash, proceed home immediately and sleep you three. I'll stay here for the whole night."

* * *

**STORY PROPER:**

**I better take a break from romance, and switch this chapter into an adventure genre.**

Back in Professor Birch's laboratory, I deposited Torkoal and Corphish and retrieved Swellow and Totodile. So the Pokémon now in my list were: Pikachu, Sceptile, Staraptor, Heracross, Swellow, and Totodile. When I had all the Pokémon needed, Pikachu and I quickly went to the Littleroot Port, where the ferry for Pallet Town would leave in a few minutes.

The moment both of us stepped into board, the ferry made a low and loud honking sound. Pikachu and I stood on the lower deck as we felt the ferry move forward. Both of us looked back at the Hoenn region one last time, before I finally gave up standing the sight, and we went into our cabin.

"Well," I spoke softly, "guess I'll be seeing it soon."

"Pika-pika-pi. Pi-pika-pi. Pikachu!"

I sighed because I felt how Pikachu felt. "I know we had to go back without May or Max. you really enjoy yourself when May's here, but I decided to spend the time for ourselves – kinda like evaluating."

Pikachu sat on my lap as I stroked it warm head and whispered, "I just hope, May's okay."

"Pika-pika-pi, pi pika-pi," Pikachu looked up.

"I just need a good company," I admitted and patted Pikachu. "I got you and five other buddies in the pocket."

"Pika-pi, pika-pi," Pikachu seemed eager.

"Alright," I took out my five other Pokéballs and threw them into the air. All of them popped open and Swellow, Totodile, Sceptile, Heracross, and Staraptor appeared before me. They were all happy to see me and all of us gathered for a group hug. At least the cabin was big enough to hold all of us.

The six of us gathered in the lowest deck for a practice. I wanted to make sure all of them were still in good shape. I started with Pikachu. Somehow, its shower of green, red, yellow, orange, blue, pink, and gray sparks astonished my five other Pokémon and also attracted onlookers. When Pikachu was done, it went back to me and leapt on my shoulder. One of them remarked, "Wow, dude! That is one AMAZING PIKACHU!"

"Good practice," I told Pikachu and I told my other Pokémon and the onlookers. "Don't worry about the colored sparks. I just don't know how it happened – but we plan to deal with this soon."

"We want to see more," some onlookers demanded.

I had all my Pokémon ready for the next move.

"Staraptor, Swellow, and Heracross," I called, "get ready in the air!" The three airborne Pokémon position themselves just the right height above the ferry. "Heracross," I started, "Swords Dance!" Heracross started revolving itself in the air, until it became a top. To pick up with the power needed for the move, I had Staraptor and Swellow use Whirwind opposite each other and make the wind go the same direction.

When I was satisfied enough, I said to the three remaining Pokémon with me. "Okay Pikachu, use Thunderbolt! Sceptile, fire your Solarbeam! Totodile, Water Gun! Fire at Heracross all at once!"

Sceptile took time to fire its Solarbeam, but when it managed to, Pikachu shot out the normal Thunderbolt, and Totodile fired its Water Gun. The three attacks met in the air and fused into a green beam.

"Swellow and Staraptor, out of the way immediately," I called. Swellow and Staraptor stopped their whirlwind attack and they fled to the side to avoid the incoming fusion. The fusion of three attacks got in the wake of Heracross's Swords Dance. The wind picked up its intensity, so the beam caused it to start swirling around Heracross in a random path. And because of the wind speed, the green beam "stretched" so it became longer until the head of the beam touched the tail and created it into a green oval.

"Pikachu," I called, "Thunderbolt on Heracross!"

Pikachu shot a red Thunderbolt straight for Heracross.

"Heracross," I called, "Endure!"

While Heracross was still spinning, it induced a red glow around its body. Pikachu's red Thunderbolt hit Heracross while it was still spinning. Because of the force field of the green oval, the Thunderbolt that directly came into Heracross discharged and shot to the green oval.

The result of the combination was a wheel – with the green oval as the wheel and the eight spokes from the Thunderbolt attack.

"That's one of the best moves I've ever seen," said one onlooker.

"Yeah," another one agreed, "that's true coordination alright!"

"Hey," one of the onlookers spoke, "that's the Sinnoh Champion! Why didn't we think of it before?"

"Hey, hey," said a familiar voice. I looked around and saw the camera crew of Gabby and TY. "That move was a natural," Gabby spoke. TY had filmed the whole thing. And after a short interview, I decided to end the training and promised the crowd that there would be better moves to come. I returned my five Pokémon into their Pokéballs and Pikachu and I headed back to our cabin.

We reached our cabin and saw a purple-haired trainer wearing a blue T-shirt and blue jeans and looking out the window.

"We meet again," he started and turned around.

It was Paul.

"Paul," I was caught by surprise. What could he be doing here?

"I'm sensing that you want to know what I'm doing here," Paul spoke. "Well if you want to know, I'm heading to the Kanto region to get some Pokémon before I go back to the Hoenn region to challenge the new set of Frontier Brains."

"So you're challenging the Battle Frontier," I said to him.

Paul shot a cold look and looked back to the window.

"I see," Paul remarked. "You know, when we get to Pallet Town, we could have a two-on-two double battle. Maybe battling the Sinnoh champion would be an interesting challenge for me to get ready for the next Frontier Brains."

"No problem," I accepted the challenge, "I'm not allowed to lose."

"We're still rivals you know," Paul smirked, "and I love making my rivals lose."

"That won't happen," I told Paul with a determined expression. "We've grown so much, you won't even try to lay a finger on us."

Paul laughed and said, "Wait till we see the outcome and we'll see if you're still worthy to be called the Sinnoh champion."

"Go ahead."

Paul paused for a while. He checked his Pokétch and said, "It's late. I better go back to my cabin. We better take our dinner once the trays come to us." Paul turned around and went to the door. He opened it and bade, "See you when you're ready, wimp." He closed the door behind him.

I gritted through my teeth, but I guess it couldn't be helped. I exhaled, smiled, and said to Pikachu, "Some things just won't change. Like Paul and I are rivals – you and I are still the best of buddies."

"Pi-Pikachu!"

* * *

The next morning seemed to be a dark and cloudy one. The morning was also cold and quite bitter. Pikachu and I slightly shivered when a cold wind passed by us. Paul didn't seem to be around anywhere. I assumed he might be in the Pokémon Center. Down on the deck were some people – they were enjoying seeing the ocean in the morning or the cold morning itself. There were no thunderclouds or any rumblings in the area. I sensed something going on with the weather.

"I noticed it," a guy just a few meters from me said to a lady, "there's not a thunderstorm or thundercloud. And to top things of that, the depth of the waters in here sank by five feet. The weather's trying to play a trick on us."

"I guess you're right," the lady spoke to the guy. "I'll check my weather sensor for any temperature tracks."

The lady took out a small light gadget and raised it in the air. A few seconds later, she lowered it to check on the readings. "The temperature shows 20.37 degrees Celsius – just a normal temperature for a cold morning," she concluded. "I don't get the condition at all."

"I'll try my own readings," said the guy and he took out a miniature weather vane from his coat pocket and raised it to the air. A few seconds later, he lowered it and red the readings, "It's 19.85 degrees Celsius, the winds are blowing north-east-north at forty-four kph. It's a very cold and fast wind."

"Any possibilities," the lady asked, "any possibilities of weather abnormalities?"

While the guy checked for the conclusions, I moved to them to see what they were doing in the deck.

"Hello, good morning," I greeted them. "Are you guys from the Weather Institute?"

"Yes," the lady spoke. When she looked at me, she became a bit surprised.

"Have we met before," she asked. "You seem too familiar."

"I don't know if we did," I answered, "I'm Ash by the way."

"I knew it," the lady snapped her fingers, "it's you, Ash. Do you remember me, Millie?"

I tried to remember who Millie was. Suddenly the past clicked on my mind – and all I remembered from that incident was Brody, the "man of a thousand faces." I smiled and said, "Hello Millie. I remember you! You were assigned to do research with the legendary Pokémon!" I paused for a while and asked them, "Anyway, what are you guys doing here?"

"We're heading to the Kanto region," said the guy while he was still checking for readings. "We're headed there to check on odd weather conditions – frequently, tornados have been appearing on spots near Mt. Moon, Lavender Town, and Celadon City. The Kanto Weather Institute wants us there."

"This is Hill," Mill introduced the guy. "He's a meteorologist in the Johto Weather Institute. This guy can be crazy sometimes – you see, he's a weather-holic." I looked back to the guy.

"Count that right," Hill spoke without looking up.

"Have you finished interpreting the results," Millie asked him.

"Not yet," Hill spoke. Then after a few seconds of closer observation, he came up with a result. "There's one possible abnormality – a grim abnormality."

"What is it," I asked.

"The interpretations show a possible natural calamity," Hill looked up with a grim look. "Calculating the wind speed and the pressure area in the ocean and add up with the depth loss of the ocean – the result is a tidal wave."

Millie, Pikachu, and I recoiled. "A what?"

"A tidal wave," Hill repeated, "and it's gonna be a big one."

"W-when," Millie spoke, her voice trembling. I looked out at the ocean and tried to look for any signs of a tidal wave. I looked carefully for about two minutes until I saw something.

From out of the horizon spawned a tidal wave – very wide and very high and approaching fast.

"Look over there," I called.

Millie and Hill ran over to the edge and gasped.

"What will we do," Hill asked.

"The boat won't have time to land in the Johto region," I said. "It might be washed long before it reaches there. Also, the boat won't have time to evade the wave."

"That's still ten miles away," Millie estimated.

The siren suddenly blared.

"A TIDAL WAVE WARNING," a voice echoed throughout the ferry, A TIDAL WAVE WARNING. THE BOAT WILL HAVE TO BE EVACUATED IMMEDIATELY!"

"That won't work either," I shouted.

Suddenly, the passengers rushed to the deck to take a view of the approaching – fast approaching tidal wave.

"Evacuating the ship won't do," I shouted.

There was one thing I could do – I rushed back inside the ferry and made my way to the captain's deck – even if people were stumbling around. The captain stopped me once I reached there.

"Young man," the captain spoke, "what do you think you're doing?"

"We can't evacuate," I explained, "there's not enough time for everyone to be rushed to safety; there's not enough time for the ferry to evade the wave!"

"What makes you say that," the captain asked in disbelief.

"Please trust me captain," I pleaded. Suddenly, Hill came to the deck and showed the captain the weather results. One of the crew members read the readings.

"I'm afraid it's true captain," the crew spoke. "I've interpreted the scalar readings and it shows us that we're trapped."

"No we're not," I said, "there's one thing we can do." I looked at the captain.

The captain kindly stepped aside for me to use the megaphone. I made no hesitations to thank the captain (Hill thanked the captain for me). I had to think fast. I picked up the megaphone and said, "This is Ash Ketchum speaking. All Pokémon trainers on board, prepare all your Pokémon. I repeat – prepare all your Pokémon! Since we cannot rush to safety, we will have to BATTLE THE WAVE ITSELF!"

I thought the people would not believe me in what I said until the captain rushed forward to the megaphone and said, "This is not a joke. Listen to the young man's instructions – he will handle the situation."

"Thank you very much captain," I thanked the captain. I told Hill to stay in the captain's deck and I rushed out back to where everyone was gathered. A horde of Pokémon and their trainers were ready to face the natural monster. This made me happy and determined.

"LET'S GET THAT WAVE DOWN," I shouted.

The people suddenly turned and stepped aside for me to get ready. I got ready with all my Pokéballs and threw them into the air. At once, Sceptile, Staraptor, Heracross, Totodile, and Swellow came out. "Listen," I told them, "we'll face that big wave. I'm gonna need all of your effort to do this."

They were all ready.

We all got into our positions – Sceptile would need to run over the water. Pikachu rode on Swellow. I rode on Staraptor's back. Swallow would be there when Staraptor became tired. Left and right – every trainer in the ship was ready to face the natural monster. I saw a bunch of Gyarados, Salamence, Dragonite, Solrock, Lunatone, Ludicolo, Wailord, and even some of the ocean Pokémon who decided to side with us to stop the tidalwave, and even brave Pokémon like Marill, Swablu, Lotad, etc.

"We're gonna need the effort of everyone to stop the wave," I though. "The lives of everyone will depend on all our effort." I looked left and right then shouted, "ALRIGHT EVERYONE. WE'LL USE RANGED ATTACKS FOR THIS BATTLE. ARE WE READY?"

Everyone roared.

"Let's go," I called.

I charged forward with all my Pokémon. Staraptor and Swellow advanced with me and Pikachu. Sceptile and Heracross were on the water's level. Sceptile was running on the water, and Heracross (with Totodile on its back) was in close pursuit. Behind me were the hundreds of Pokémon and their trainers – all eager to put the wave down. Right on my tail was Paul's Gyarados and Electivire. Paul himself was riding on Staraptor.

The wave seemed to be slowing down – and this would be an advantage. When it was close enough, I had Staraptor and Swellow stop. The rest of the Pokémon behind me stopped.

"GET READY," I commanded and raised a hand. "FIRE!" I pointed my hand towards the wave.

The battle was intense. Sceptile leapt in the air and fired its Solarbeam (with a five second delay). Swellow fired its Hyper Beam. Pikachu gave out a green Thunderbolt and made it go straight for the wave. The Pokémon behind us started advancing forward and were in line with me. From the sky, we all seemed to be one giant line of defense. I heard trainers command their Pokémon. Thunder, Flamethrower, Solarbeam, Hydro Pump, Shadow Ball, Hyper Beam, Dark Pulse, Psybeam, Focus Blast, Ice Beam, Ancientpower, and many more attacks fired to the tidal wave.

"We can't hold back now," Paul showed. "I'll control the other side of the line."

"That's it," I suddenly had an idea. I had swift Pokémon go to the other side of the wave and fire their attacks from behind it. Some water Pokémon bravely faced the wave then dove underwater to get to the other side. The tidal wave was just a kilometer from where we were.

"Get ready to move back," I shouted.

I leapt off Staraptor's back then landed on Swellow. Pikachu switched places. The front battalion started moving back as the Pokémon continued firing their attacks. The back battalion chased the wave while they fired their attacks to weaken the intensity.

Slowly, very slowly, the height of the tidal wave dropped, but it was not enough to prevent it from capsizing the ship.

To my left, a combination of Charge Beam and Hydro Pump with a little power of Whirlwind shot to the wave. To my right, a combination of Sludge Bomb, Whirlwind, and Thunder split multiple electric poisoned pellets to the wave. More combinations to my left and right and nearby were very effective – even if they didn't seem as if they wanted to do Pokémon contests. It was that two or three trainers were cooperating with each other.

"Sceptile," I called, "Solarbeam once more!"

Sceptile's Solarbeam took ten seconds to fire.

"Pikachu," I called, "Thunderbolt once more to the wave!"

Pikachu shot out a red Thunderbolt to the direction of the wave.

From the back battalion, a Salamence, Kingdra, and Dragonite combined their Flamethrower, Hydro Pump, and Hyper Beam attacks to produce an impressive combination. The attack tore through the tidal wave, but it only created a small hole. Also, a Solrock fired Solarbeam while a Milotic combined it with Twister (Solartwister). A Feraligatr, a Floatzel, and a Mantine shot their Ice Beam attack to the tidal wave. A Lanturn and Gyarados worked their Thunderbolt and Dragon Rage combination to produce a "Thunder Rage" combination. A Skarmory used Aerial Ace to the attack to add power to the combinations.

Meanwhile in the front, five Blastoise fired their Hydro Cannon attacks – all of which were parallel to each other. A Luxray riding on a Pidgeot fired a Thunder chain around the Hydro Cannon attacks and. The water attacks charged with the electric and became a Hydroelectric Cannon. It was a very impressive and effective combination. Three Wailord, visible for their enormous size, swiveled through the tidal wave without being swept away. The Wailord also fired their Blizzard attacks as it went around the wave – they were slowing down its speed and intensity.

Paul and his Staraptor flew by me.

"We better have some Pokémon fire to the top of the wave," Paul called.

I pictured out the situation and agreed to Paul's plan. Paul and his Staraptor dashed back to the back battalion.

"Pikachu and Staraptor," I called. "Remember the combination we used when we faced the Beedrill Colony? I want both of you to do that one."

Pikachu and Staraptor maneuvered the Electronado combination. It was big and powerful. To add a little more power, I had Swellow use its Hyper Beam, and Heracross pick up the intensity with Aerial Ace. I had Pikachu and Staraptor come back before the tidal wave would reach them. All of us fled from the wave, while the lingering Electronado smashed to the tidal wave. The effect gave shocking results. The combination cut the tidal wave into two! This was what I wanted!

Pokémon in the back battalion started firing their attacks to the top of the tidal wave and under Paul's command.

We kept on battling the wave. I looked back to see how close we were to the ship. The ship was already visible – but I knew that we could still do it.

Then it clicked inside me – that move.

"Pikachu," I had Pikachu ride on Heracross, "this is a risk. I want you to use the Volt Barrage once you line yourself to the divided wave. Heracross, Endure so that you won't faint! I'm counting on you!"

Pikachu gained the determination, and the two of them went forward. I looked at them closely and thought, "I know it's a risk – but this attack will be for everyone."

Pikachu used its Charge to build the energy needed. I hoped this would work, please! Heracross used Endure.

And once Pikachu was in line with the wave…

"PIII – KAAA – CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!"

A thunderous storm of multi-colored electric attacks shot from where Pikachu was and split apart in all directions. The barrage hit on both sides of the wave. Volt Barrage was a very and a horribly strong attack. It did weaken the intensity of the tidal wave – a lot. I smiled at this progress, and watched the tidal wave weaken its power.

From out of the corner of my eye after the Volt Barrage, I saw what would happen.

Pikachu used up all its energy in the Volt Barrage. It lost its consciousness and its balance on Heracross, and fell into the water.

"NO, PIKACHU!"

I could not bear the sight of Pikachu falling into the water and losing consciousness. Without knowing that I had to do it, without fearing that the tidal wave would wash me away, I dove into the water to rescue my buddy.

When my fit hit the water, I was pushed back by the wave's underwater pressure. Nevertheless, I struggled through the water and dove further to rescue Pikachu. I had been in this situation a lot of times, but not this intense. The wave was roaring behind me now, and Pikachu was going ten then fifteen then twenty feet below. I swam down faster and reached out my hand to grab Pikachu.

I couldn't.

Before I could swim another stroke – water clogged into my brain. I couldn't swim up now – the situation was tense. I couldn't swim for another five strokes down. It was too late to save Pikachu – it was also too late to surface. The last thing going on my mind was death – and the last thing I saw was the form of a serpent approaching me.

My eyes closed and I couldn't think anymore. My brain shut down.

"Pikachu…"

* * *

…

…

…

"Is he still okay?"

…

…

"What was he trying to do?"

…

…

"Man, I thought that tidal wave would have us for good."

Voices rung on my ears – I was still alive. Then I suddenly remembered the whole flashes of pictures – and – Pikachu! I snapped my eyes open and found myself in a hospital room. I sat up and looked around for my buddy. I looked at the faces around me and demanded, "What happened to Pikachu?"

"Pikachu's in the Pokémon Center, said a female voice to my right. I turned to the speaker and saw a pink-haired woman beside my hospital bed. It was Whitney, the Goldenrod City gym leader. I concluded that I was in the Goldenrod City hospital – and it was already nighttime.

"What happened out there," I asked tiredly. "Everything became so blurry while I tried to rescue Pikachu from drowning."

"Well," Whitney answered, "the trainers involved did a job well done. From different accounts of the trainers involved, the wave was already too weak – and all it did was lurch the boat a few ten meters sideways." I looked down and frowned – I didn't witness the whole victory.

"Who rescued me and Pikachu," I asked Whitney.

Whitney looked around to the other trainers and said, "Everyone, leave the room immediately. He will be fine."

The other visitors except for two left the room. Whitney turned back to me and said, "Uh, I'm sorry – what was the question?"

"Who rescued me and Pikachu," I repeated.

"Ash," Whitney stepped aside, "don't be surprised – it was Misty."

The picture of a serpent-like image in the water appeared in my mind – was that Misty's Gyarados?

"Misty was here to participate in Goldenrod City to participate in the region's Aqua-palooza Pokémon Contest," Whitney explained. "Both of us were having hot chocolate in one of the restaurants when we suddenly heard a flash report about a tidal wave."

"But the boat was a long way from the city," I spoke. "How did Misty get to us so quickly?"

"I can answer that," said another voice from the back of the room. It was Misty! "I've got one of the fastest water Pokémon in the world – it's a high-level Kingdra. I got there in fifteen fast minutes. When I got to where you battled with the wave, from out of the corner of my eye, I saw a figure dive into the water."

_"NO, PIKACHU!"_

_"Ash, what are you doing," came Misty's voice, but Ash didn't seem to hear her._

"For a moment," I said as I looked out the window, "I thought I heard someone familiar just as I was about to hit the water." I turned back to Whitney for more questions.

"How long was I unconscious," I asked.

"I didn't keep track of the time," Whitney answered. "but the time you came to the hospital, it was about," she thought for a while then concluded, "four days."

"Four days," I spoke, perplexed.

I was in a coma!

"You were in a coma," Misty spoke without turning from where she was, "but I was not worried about you. I knew you would still be alive. Four days, Ash," Misty said softly, "you need not worry – my coma just took two days."

I shook my head in disbelief.

"Did you dream of anything," Misty asked. Why would Misty ask me of this? But I couldn't find any single picture that popped out in my coma.

"No," I answered her.

"Oh," Misty said.

"Misty," Whitney spoke, "I'm sorry to have wasted your time. Well, I never expected this to happen, but…"

"You don't have to apologize," Misty interrupted softly. "I was planning to head back to Cerulean City once Ash and Pikachu are released."

"Huh," I didn't get everything right.

"You're coming with me to Cerulean City," Misty repeated with a slight aggressive tone.

"O – kay," I said. "Where are Tracey and Dawn?"

Misty turned around and answered, "Tracey's in Professor Oak's laboratory. Dawn's spending time everyday in the Cerulean gym. She was also invited to the Aqua-palooza Pokémon Contest, but she just stayed."

"Oh," I said blankly, "so what happened to the Pokémon contest?"

"The contest was postponed," Whitney answered, "and it was also moved to Olivine City. Hadn't it been for the tidal wave, the contest would've been tomorrow."

"But the wave was taken down right," I said, "why would they still move it?"

"I guess the contest coordinators were a bit shocked to find something unexpected," Whitney answered gloomily. "And tidal waves, like earthquakes, can have aftermaths."

Something was missing in our conversation.

"Where's Pikachu," I asked, "how's he doing?"

"You have nothing to worry Ash," Whitney answered. "Pikachu's with Nurse Joy in the Pokémon center. Pikachu just had an electric wipeout. What attack did it use?"

"Hmm," I said wonderingly if Whitney or even Misty would believe me, "Volt Barrage."

"Volt Barrage," they said in unison.

I explained to the both of them about what Volt Barrage was all about, what its effects were, and how powerful it can charge. I also said to them that we didn't know and had no idea on how Pikachu learned the move so suddenly. Plus, I also said that Pikachu could give off colored electric attacks (they must've seen it when Gabby and TY filmed my training session in the ship).

"That's incredible," Misty remarked.

We said nothing for a while. Five minutes passed before Misty went over to me and broke the silence, "Ash, you should rest. The dangers are over, and you are thankfully still alive." She patted my head and said, "Please rest – we'll have a long walk in three days."

Just then, the door opened violently and Paul came in with an obviously angry look on his face. He stormed across the room then got a hold of my shirt and started with a flare from him.

"What the heck was that all about," Paul hissed. "You nearly put everyone in danger!"

"I was doing my job," I protested. "All what Pikachu did was use one move."

"That was just a Thunder attack," Paul hissed. "Why would you even bother with that."

"That was not a Thunder attack," I snapped. "What would happen if one of your Pokémon drowned, huh?"

"What would happen if you watched a hundred Pokémon and a hundred more trainers get wiped out by a tidal wave," Paul shouted.

"Enough," Misty cut in the both of us and shouted through gritted teeth. "Paul, leave him alone! Ash, get some rest! It's not a wise move for both of you to be arguing!"

"Hmph," Paul sneered as he threw me back, "looks like our match is postponed. The next time we meet, you're going down – whether you like it or not. Let's just see if you're still worthy to be called the champion." He turned around and walked toward the door then said, "You brat…"

Whitney slammed the door and said, "He's insulting."

I never felt so furious whenever it came to Paul. He was the same heartless trainer as ever – and I felt that I wouldn't anything to change it.

"And the both of you were supposed to battle," Misty spoke.

I nodded then said, "A four-on-four double battle."

"Just get some rest," Misty grumbled.

I looked at the door and pulled an angry look at it as if Paul was standing there. Without taking my eyes off the door, I lay down on the bed and grumbled. Misty was looking out the window – her cerulean eyes worried. "Poor Ash," she thought deeply, "I wonder how long he could stand being the Pokémon master." Misty pulled a sigh and continued thinking, "Things just get harder when you become the top of something. It makes me feel that I didn't have to be a gym leader in the first place."

She turned to Whitney and said, "Whitney, it's late. You should leave."

"Of course," Whitney replied, "I'll head back home. Have a speedy recovery, Ash."

Whitney went out of the door, and Misty and I were left in my hospital room. Misty turned back to the window and sat on a chair nearby her. I wanted to ask Misty something, but she just demanded, "Just get some rest."

I sighed and turned the other way to face the door then whispered low for Misty not to hear, "I wonder where you are May. I hope you're not angry at me."

WHERE IS MAY ANYWAY?

* * *

Next chapter on Winner Takes Ash: Lost from the Tree

From the bedroom hallway came Mimee followed by a Wobbuffet.

"Hey," I wondered while looking at the Wobbuffet, "since when did mom get that Wobbuffet."

"I got that one two weeks ago," Mom called from the kitchen. "Mimee and I found an empty Pokéball somewhere near Celadon. We took it to a Pokémon Center and had it repaired. Just when we left Celadon, a stray Wobbuffet came up at us. Mimee battled it, and we were able to catch it. Wobbie's part of the family, now."

"Wobbie, huh," I said – inside, I wanted to laugh at the humor of the name.

…

"Mom," I spoke and pointed to where that blurry spot was, "what's this?"

Mom frowned, "I'm not the one who created the Ketchum family tree. You should consult my sister in Cherrygrove City."

"Well," I said softly, "maybe I don't need to – maybe it was just a mistake or something."

"Ash," Mom spoke and she looked at me seriously, "you have a sister. She's supposed to be the same age as you."

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Existing chapters:**

**Prologue – The Pokemon Masters**

**Chapter 1 – Face-Off**

**Chapter 2 – Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3 – Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4 – Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

**Chapter 5 – Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience**

**Chapter 6 – Forest and Poisons**

**Chapter 7 – It's A Whole New Gym Leader**

**Chapter 8 – Brock's Flashback**

**Chapter 9 – Pains of the Past**

**Chapter 10 – Petalburg Pursuit – To the Maximum!**

**Chapter 11 – Bringing Back the Young Days**

**Chapter 12 – A Little Taste of Darkness**

**Chapter 13 – Nightmares**

**Chapter 14 – A Night in the Meadows**

**Chapter 15 – The Amazing Transformation**

**Chapter 16 – Tidal Terror**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Whew! Finally done with Chapter 16! By the way, this is one of the chapters so far – where no love scene appeared in the chapter – I said that I would take a break from romance and switch to adventure. And sorry if I'm really messy in the weather interpretations...

And WTF did I do? I just wrote there for the next chapter that Ash has a sister. Is that true or maybe that's just a spoiler? If you want to know – you better find out once I get Chapter 17 into Winner Takes Ash!

**The author does not own Pokémon, Nintendo, or GameFreak. The author owns Winner Takes Ash, Pokémon Pearl, and Pokémon Diamond.**

**PowerZone**


	19. Ch17: Lost From the Tree

**CHAPTER 17: LOST FROM THE TREE**

There are a few family secrets Ash still has to encounter, but it's all up for him to decide on his next move both as a trainer and as a family member.

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 14) "I – I have to go back," I said after a long pause.

May rolled out from my embrace, looked at me, and said, "Go back where?"

"Um," I said, "Cerulean City. I promised Brock, Dawn, Misty, and Tracey that I'd come back soon." I sighed and continued, "It's already been a month and I haven't seen them since. I just have to go back."

"Now already?"

I interrupted, "No not now. As soon as possible."

(Prologue) Everyone roared in approval.

"You'll never win!"

"You always lose!"

"You guys never had a fighting heart," I heard Brock call. "You never had a heart at all!"

(Chapter 16) "What the heck was that all about," Paul hissed. "You nearly put everyone in danger!"

"I was doing my job," I protested. "All what Pikachu did was use one move."

"That was just a Thunder attack," Paul hissed. "Why would you even bother with that."

"That was not a Thunder attack," I snapped. "What would happen if one of your Pokémon drowned, huh?"

* * *

**STORY PROPER:**

Three days I woke up from the coma, the doctor discharged me from the hospital. I was feeling better – the water that clogged in me was already out. The first thing we did after getting out from the hospital was go to the Pokémon Center. In there, Nurse Joy gave me my Pikachu – we were relieved to see each other again. When we left the Pokémon Center, we headed to a restaurant to get some snacks.

After snacks, Misty, Pikachu, and I went down to the port and boarded a ferry for Pallet Town. The water depth and the weather returned to normal, so no tidal wave should occur this time. We settled in a nice, quiet room.

"How are you," Misty asked.

"I'm fine," I answered as I lay down on the bed. "I just don't feel happy right now."

"Why?"

"It's none of your business, really."

The ferry arrived in Pallet Town by early evening. From the port, it would be a ten minute walk before we would reach home. Ten minutes later, we reached my place.

I knocked on the door, and it was mom who answered it.

"Hi honey," mom greeted me and both of us hugged each other.

"Hi mom," I greeted back.

"Good evening, Mrs. Ketchum," Misty greeted.

"Good evening, Misty," mom greeted Misty. "Why don't you three come in for dinner and we can talk about something." Pikachu leapt from my shoulder and ran into the house.

The three of us went inside the house. I looked around to find that a few things had recently been moved. Well, I was still home – from a very long, long, portion of my journey. Misty settled herself on the couch and Pikachu joined her.

"I'm still preparing dinner," Mom called and she disappeared into the kitchen to finish cooking.

From the bedroom hallway came Mimee followed by a Wobbuffet.

"Hey," I wondered while looking at the Wobbuffet, "since when did mom get that Wobbuffet."

"I got that one two weeks ago," Mom called from the kitchen. "Mimee and I found an empty Pokéball somewhere near Celadon. We took it to a Pokémon Center and had it repaired. Just when we left Celadon, a stray Wobbuffet came up at us. Mimee battled it, and we were able to catch it. Wobbie's part of the family, now."

"Wobbie, huh," I said – inside, I wanted to laugh at the humor of the name.

I looked at the Wobbuffet – and it reminded me of Team Rocket's Wobbuffet. Their Wobbuffet was more of a showy one – this Wobbuffet looked a bit nervous.

Mom put the food on the table.

"Honey," mom spoke and she approached the two of us in the living room, "I was thinking – that before you should go any further, you should discover a few things that our whole family had been hiding."

"What would that be mom," I wondered.

"Ash," mom spoke gently, "did you know your father?"

I looked down and deeply thought of any pictures of what my father exactly looked like. It suddenly reminded me of May, who asked the same question just a few weeks ago. I looked at Misty – she was looking at me with her silent cerulean eyes. Misty had lost her father.

"No," I answered honestly.

"You better come with me," mom told me. Then she said to Misty, "Misty, wait until we get back, okay? Misty nodded and she stayed behind in the living room, while I followed mom upstairs. Mimee and Wobbie were right behind us. We arrived in the front of my bedroom, but we did not go in. Instead, mom instructed Mimee to use Psychic on the ceiling. There was click overhead us – then a door opened. This led to the attic.

"Wobbie," mom spoke gently, "Safeguard all of us. Mimee, use Psychic to bring us to the attic."

Wobbie and Mimee executed their tasks – and mom and I were in our attic. The attic was dark and dusty – but the only thing in the attic that wasn't really dusty was a sewing machine. This was mom sewing machine, in which she used it to make my clothes whenever I would embark on a new journey.

"What are we doing here," I asked curiously.

Mom went over to a small yellow and green chest somewhere in the corner of the attic. The chest was dusty – and it also had no lock. Mom opened the chest and took out a huge roll of paper. The paper was not very old – as if it was used two years ago or so.

We went down of the attic and Mimee used Psychic to lock the attic trapdoor. We went back to the living room, where Misty was still waiting.

"What's that paper you're holding, Mrs. Ketchum," Misty asked.

Mom put the roll of paper in the living room table and unrolled it. When the paper was unrolled, we could see traces of lines and names. Lines connected names of people from one to another. It took fifteen seconds for me to realize what it was.

"Is this a family tree," I asked.

"Yes it is," mom answered.

I found my name on the right side of the paper. "By name," I exclaimed, "you're right!"

On top of my name to the right was mom's name – and to the left was a line that connected to a name named James.

"Who's James," I asked.

"That's your father," mom replied. "Your dad was a skilled Pokémon trainer. Actually, he was the Indigo League champion of 1975." Mom looked at the name of my father then frowned.

"What happened to him," Misty asked.

"Ash's dad disappeared without a trace," mom answered. This made all of us surprised. "We were married for two years. The month you were born," mom looked at me, "your dad went to the Johto region to participate, but I never heard of him ever since. Mysterious – nobody in the region who knew James even found him." Mom sighed and continued, "It's like everything happened so suddenly and he was just wiped off the map."

"I don't believe it," I whispered.

"Why did you only have to show it to Ash now," Misty asked.

"I feared a lot of things back then," mom answered. "Whenever Ash goes out to a journey, it makes me worry. I only hoped that Ash would not end up the same thing as his father. And until now, we still haven't heard of him."

"He could be," I started, but mom interrupted.

"He couldn't be yet," mom said. "A skilled Pokémon trainer like your father could survive alone anywhere."

"So Pokémon battling is both in our genes," I wondered.

"It seems to make sense," Misty spoke.

"What was dad's starter Pokémon," I asked.

"Don't be surprised Ash," mom replied with a grin. "Just a few years back while Professor Oak was conducting a research, the genes matched with your Pikachu to your father's starter Pokémon."

I was surprised. "So you mean that dad's starter Pokémon was also a Pikachu?"

"That's right," mom answered. "And that's not all – the Pikachu you have is also the child of your father's Pikachu." Could this be a coincidence?

Pikachu was also surprised.

I looked back at the family tree and looked down at the Ketchum family. Yes – mom, dad, and I were on the tree. Then I found something. Underneath my name was a small line that went down – but the line never ended at a name. Instead, only a blurry spot replaced where the name was supposed to be. Did I have a younger sibling?

"Mom," I spoke and pointed to where that blurry spot was, "what's this?"

Mom frowned, "I'm not the one who created the Ketchum family tree. You should consult my sister in Cherrygrove City."

"Well," I said softly, "maybe I don't need to – maybe it was just a mistake or something."

"Ash," Mom spoke and she looked at me seriously, "you have a sister. She's supposed to be the same age as you."

"But why haven't I seen my sister as far as I can remember," I started losing my temper.

"You and your sister are twins," mom said. "The both of you were born on the same day – only you came ahead. A week later, my dad took her to my cousin, Craig. Craig lives in Cerulean City, and I haven't seen him since."

"Wait a minute," Misty seemed to be going into something, "I think I heard that name from before. His son Tom challenged me to a gym battle some few months ago."

"No way," I repeated the same expression, "so this – this means, you battled me – cousin?"

"I had no idea Tom was your cousin," Misty spoke irritably.

"I think we should head to Cerulean City," I suggested. "Maybe I could find my sister there."

"That could be possible," Misty agreed.

"Your sister's waiting there," mom said and she smiled.

I looked further around the family tree and saw names of other Ketchum clan members – I didn't know there were so many. Mom pointed out some names and their contributions. Boy there were a lot of lines that kept connecting generation to generation. After a while, we became bored to look more at the family tree, so mom put us into dinner. We didn't talk any more of the family tree, so our conversation switched into adventures, flashbacks, battles, and memories. Also, mom had me talk about what happened in the tidal wave scenario.

"We'll head to Cerulean tomorrow," Misty suggested, "it's late already."

Misty and I stayed in my bedroom. Misty slept in a different bed. Pikachu and I were looking outside the bedroom window while we were leaning against it. I talked softly to Pikachu.

"You know what buddy," I spoke to Pikachu.

"Pika-pika?"

"I wonder how many years old you are already," I said. I wondered about this since a lot of years had already passed since Pikachu and I met for the first time. Pikachu could be getting old by now – maybe even older than me. At least, that's what I thought.

If I did have a father or a sister, I wonder what nice memories the both of them would have. Maybe my sister and I played together when we were still very young – and maybe my memories of having a sister just made me lose everything. And maybe dad's still alive – and he's just somewhere in a place I don't know, or somewhere in a place where everything is shrouded from existence.

Was mom really telling the truth, or was she keeping me from something? I don't know… it would be up to me to find out really soon enough – just who is my sister, and where is my real father?

DOES THE KETCHUM FAMILY HAVE A SECRET?

* * *

Next chapter on Winner Takes Ash: Love Fever – Stricken!

"Hey Misty," I looked at her closely, "you don't look so good today."

"I'm just fine," Misty said a bit irritatingly, "don't worry about me."

"You just don't feel right," I observed her movement closely – Misty seemed a bit irritated about some things. She was not walking straight; she was wobbling side to side. And then – she collapsed.

"Misty," Pikachu and I rushed to her aid.

…

"So how about the boys," I asked nervously," what did you do with them?"

"The boys were cute, charming, gentle, and sweet," Misty spoke politely. "They attempted to ask me for a date – but I refused all the thirty-seven boys." Her eyes widened and she continued, "Wow, I can still remember how many asked me." Misty continued slowly, "Oh well, I said to all of them that my heart already belonged to someone."

My heart fell – I knew Misty would find someone when I left her. I tried to hide all the downfallen thoughts and said to Misty blankly, "Who did your heart belong?"

…

"Hey Ash," Brock spoke, "it's been a while now – there's one request I would like to ask. How do you want for a battle? I miss those days."

"A two-on-two," I said, bewildered, "impromptu?"

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Existing chapters:**

**Prologue – The Pokemon Masters**

**Chapter 1 – Face-Off**

**Chapter 2 – Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3 – Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4 – Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

**Chapter 5 – Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience**

**Chapter 6 – Forest and Poisons**

**Chapter 7 – It's A Whole New Gym Leader**

**Chapter 8 – Brock's Flashback**

**Chapter 9 – Pains of the Past**

**Chapter 10 – Petalburg Pursuit – To the Maximum!**

**Chapter 11 – Bringing Back the Young Days**

**Chapter 12 – A Little Taste of Darkness**

**Chapter 13 – Nightmares**

**Chapter 14 – A Night in the Meadows**

**Chapter 15 – The Amazing Transformation**

**Chapter 16 – Tidal Terror**

**Chapter 17 – Lost From the Tree**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

AAAHH!! Brock's returned! We thought he would be gone for good in Chapter 9, but he's returning in Chapter 18! What the heck is going on? And if you haven't figured why the next chapter is "Love Fever – Stricken!" let me just tell you what's going on in that chapter. The title says so because the next chapter will contain POKéSHIPPING. So Pokéshipping worshippers, the day for you has come to rejoice!

And what is Brock's request anyway?

The partial poll results: "Who do want Ash to be with in the end?" can be viewed in my profile. It has been updated as of September 9, 2008.

Please read and review – and let me know if I made some mistakes in the order of things in the story. Thanks, guys!

**The author does not own Pokémon, Nintendo, or GameFreak. The author owns Winner Takes Ash, Pokémon Pearl, and Pokémon Diamond.**

**PowerZone**


	20. Ch18: Love Fever Stricken!

**CHAPTER 18: LOVE FEVER - STRICKEN!**

This unbearable feeling he's feeling - is something he'll never, ever take away...

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 15) The reporter of the flash report appeared in the television and started, "We interrupt this program for a special weather report. Possible signs of a tidal wave will appear sometime today off the coast of Goldenrod City. Meteorologists explained that the cold wind and the loss of water depth of the shores that may occur today can contribute to a possibility of a tidal wave.

"And to make things worse, the Ram Ferry sailing from Littleroot Town to Pallet Town is in danger of being swept from the possible tidal wave."

(Chapter 17) "What's that paper you're holding, Mrs. Ketchum," Misty asked.

Mom put the roll of paper in the living room table and unrolled it. When the paper was unrolled, we could see traces of lines and names. Lines connected names of people from one to another. It took fifteen seconds for me to realize what it was.

"Is this a family tree," I asked.

"Yes it is," mom answered.

I found my name on the right side of the paper. "By name," I exclaimed, "you're right!"

* * *

**STORY PROPER:**

Before Misty and I trekked for Cerulean City, I decided to drop by Professor Oak's laboratory to deposit Swellow, Totodile, and Heracross. Professor Oak still wasn't back from his research of the legendary Pokémon. Only Gary was there – he was looking at a blur fossil placed inside a protective capsule attached to some machine. It seemed that he was absorbed for something to occur.

"Professor Oak ain't back yet," I asked.

Gary was wearing his usual clothes – only this time, his shirt was tucked in. "Gramps ain't back yet," he told me. "He's still in hot pursuit with that thing."

"Oh," I said, "anyway, I'll deposit three of my Pokémon then take Glalie, Tauros, and Corphish."

After I had my three Pokémon, Misty and I went out of the laboratory then we went down the path that led to Viridian City. Afterwards, we didn't need to take the Viridian forest since we were going directly to Cerulean City – so we took the shortcut.

Two hours since we left Pallet town, I didn't mind how far we've gone or how far Cerulean City was. The sun was already shining overhead and the day just became hotter. Sweat built up on the sides of my head and at my back. Pikachu seemed bored on my shoulder. I took off my cap and fanned my head. When I turned around to check on Misty, her eyes seemed to be droopy. She didn't seem to feel so good.

"Hey Misty," I looked at her closely, "you don't look so good today."

"I'm just fine," Misty said a bit irritatingly, "don't worry about me."

"You just don't feel right," I observed her movement closely – Misty seemed a bit irritated about some things. She was not walking straight; she was wobbling side to side. And then – she collapsed.

"Misty," Pikachu and I rushed to her aid.

Misty knelt up. "I don't feel well today," she admitted.

I carried Misty under a tree just a few feet ahead of us and we stayed in the shade. I had her head lie down on my lap and I fanned her to keep her awake.

"What's the problem," I asked, concerned.

Misty's eyes were half-closed and unfocused. She moved her head slowly and looked at me deeply in the eyes. "My head," she said slowly, paused for a while, and continued, "it's burning."

"What," I didn't get what Misty was saying."

Misty didn't feel so good. I felt her forehead – it was burning up. I didn't know where that fever came from, but Misty should've told me earlier before we left home. "Misty," I asked, "did you bring any of your Pokémon?"

She nodded slowly. I took out Misty's only Pokéball and brought out her Marill. Marill trotted happily for a few seconds. But when it saw Misty, Marill started doubting. It made me wonder where her other Pokémon were – so I guess she might've transported them back to Cerulean City.

"Marill," I said calmly, "I want you to cool down Misty with a soft Water Gun attack."

Marill used a soft Water Gun, and the water squirted on Misty's forehead. It did little good while I fanned her head to allow some cool to her. "Keep Misty company for a while," I told Marill and Pikachu. "I'll be back with some help." I stood up and left the shade. I ran around anywhere frantically for some help – but no one was around.

"Oh no," I whispered, "we're ten miles from the next town – Misty's temperature just keeps increasing." I kept on searching for any alternative – but nothing came. "Dammit," I whispered and went back to the spot where Misty, Marill, and Pikachu were. From there, I took out Staraptor from its Pokéball and told it, "Staraptor, find something that would help Misty with her fever. Pikachu, you accompany Staraptor."

Pikachu rode on Staraptor. Staraptor nodded and it flew off.

When I checked on Misty – she was already unconscious. Not that the fever reached its limit, thankfully, but that she was resting to ease her fever. I had this new feeling by just looking at Misty – and it was just the same feeling that I had when I saw her lying on the hospital bed. One in a while, I felt her forehead. The temperature just kept on rising and falling and rising and falling. But may heart was set and strong, "I know Misty – she's strong," I said to myself. But could this feeling in me be really true. How about all the times when I had to focus on my quest to become the Pokémon master? How did it help Misty in some way? I looked at Misty for what seemed to be almost five minutes, and I couldn't help the feeling that we're alone (minus her Marill that was sitting behind me) in the middle of nature.

Just when I thought these feelings in me would subside for the moment, Staraptor and Pikachu returned. It seemed that Staraptor found a spring just close by. But close by was about seven hundred meters from where we were. If I had to carry Misty through the heat, then I had to. Staraptor and Pikachu provided some shade while I carried Misty in my back – and Marill used Water Gun softly to make a little shower for all of us.

Seven hundred meters didn't seem bad, I thought once we reached the cooling spot. It was a small fresh spring. Water went down two levels of rocks to a pool and connected into a small stream then to a river just a little near the horizon. To make the conditions better, the spring was settled under a shade of clusters of trees – so it would be a good cooling spot before Misty would feel any better. I put Misty under the nearest tree to the lowest level of the spring and looked up.

Boy the spring was like a miniature waterfall! I just wished I could jump in and not come out! I went to the edge of the pool and looked down on the water. The water was clear and fresh – because I could see the stones and rocks below. Upon looking closer at the depth, I determined that this pool was no deeper than three feet.

"A-Ash?"

I heard someone moan behind me, so I turned around. Misty was sitting up on the ground.

"Wh-where are we?"

I walked to Misty and knelt down. Staraptor and Pikachu helped themselves into enjoying the spring. Marill soon joined in the fun. "You need more rest," I told her, "when your fever settles down, we can continue moving to Cerulean."

Misty looked around.

"Is that a spring?" she asked, taking notice of the spring where Marill, Pikachu, and Staraptor were bathing.

"Of course," I said.

"H-How did you know there was a spring in here," Misty asked curiously.

I chuckled and I sat down below the tree while leaning on the trunk. "Staraptor and Pikachu did a good searching job. It's a little off the road." And if telling Misty that seven-hundred meters was a little off the road, boy would that fever just soar higher. I checked the Pokétch in my bag and read, "11:25 AM."

"It's almost half-past eleven," I told her.

Misty nodded and she settled into leaning against the trunk beside me. I felt her forehead again. The fever seemed to be subsiding, but I believed that Misty just needed a little more rest.

After just looking at the three Pokémon have a good time in the spring, I went through my bag and took out a small cup. I scooped some water from the spring and went back to where Misty was. She seemed calm. I took off my gloves and washed my hands in the cup, then I placed water on Misty's forehead.

Upon the first touch, the wondrous feeling returned. It was the same feeling that I felt while Staraptor and Pikachu were searching for a cool place for Misty to rest. I knew that Misty would be all responsible to take care of herself – but I just felt that I had to take care of her for the moment. After putting enough water to cool Misty down, I emptied the cup and placed it back on my bag.

"Ash," Misty started slowly.

I looked at her. "Yes?"

Misty didn't get to say another word – but she just placed her head on my left shoulder and whispered, "Thanks."

I smiled and lowered my head, so that the brim of my cap would cover my face. Even though I closed my eyes, I could get this feeling that Misty was smiling.

* * *

Even though we didn't get to eat lunch, just being close to each other could fill our stomach's delights. By mid-afternoon, Misty and I woke up to find that Pikachu, Staraptor, and Marill were also taking a nap just near us. Misty lifted her head off my shoulder and she stood up.

"I feel much better," she said.

I stood up and felt her forehead. It seemed to have returned to its normal temperature. "No question about that one," I remarked. "So should we head off to Cerulean?"

Misty paused to think about that one. "You know, I think we should spend the night here… I seem to like the aura of this place – it wants to make you sit back and relax and stay calm."

I went to the edge of the pool and looked down at the crystal clear water. I had to agree with Misty: nothing could be as flawless as sitting back and relax to feel the light air blow against me. Yet I let my guard down to the next set of events – two hands pushed heavily on my back, and I fell into the pool. The moment I surfaced, I saw Misty suddenly leap in.

"Cowabunga," she yelled.

Misty came in with a big splash. "Hey," I snapped, "what's the big idea of splashing in with all our clothes?"

"Just like I said," Misty answered with a wink, "this place just wants to make you sit back and relax and stay calm."

I drew out a short breath.

"Well, I guess there's no point in objecting," I gave in, "so I guess we should enjoy the water ourselves." I looked back at the three sleeping Pokémon and added, "And we better not make things wild." I leaned my back on the stony wall on the side of the pool. I was sitting on a small rock – so which means my head and my shoulders were above the water. Misty swam over and sat beside me.

"So how was Cerulean," I asked her.

"The same old thing," she answered. "Gym battles come and go, and I feel like I'm a mother to my Pokémon."

Misty and I practically talked about anything that could come up in our minds. But the longer we talked, the closer we got to each other… until it came to a point where Misty was practically leaning against me – her head now on my shoulder and her arms embracing my free arm. Although it felt a bit embarrassing, I didn't have to mind – the two of us are alone… together.

The topic came from gyms to journeys to more personal issues like romance and dates – then more lively issues like girls, boys, growing up… But when it came to the boys, Misty seemed tenser. Well, I couldn't blame her for her tomboyish attitude.

"So how about the boys," I asked nervously," what did you do with them?"

"The boys were cute, charming, gentle, and sweet," Misty spoke politely. "They attempted to ask me for a date – but I refused all the thirty-seven boys." Her eyes widened and she continued, "Wow, I can still remember how many asked me." Misty continued slowly, "Oh well, I said to all of them that my heart already belonged to someone."

My heart fell – I knew Misty would find someone when I left her. I tried to hide all the downfallen thoughts and said to Misty blankly, "Who did your heart belong?"

Misty answered, "My heart sought out for that one person who would look out for me when I'm in trouble… and I learned so many things about life just by staying by his side."

Oh man, if ever those words could reach my heart, I could just do Explosion on the spot.

"S-So who is this guy you're talking about?"

"He's sweet and nice – and even if we have fights, I know by heart that he's doing it for the sake for us…"

Those words were starting to pierce.

"What's wrong, Ash," Misty started to notice my uneasiness.

"Nothing," I said in my calmest – yet inside, loudest – tone. "Th-There's someone better than me… after all this time that we became friends…"

Misty chuckled softly. "You are the most naïve person I've met," she said to me. "And that's why my heart was set for you, Ash Ketchum." She leaned her head closer and continued, "I learned how it felt to control all emotions within me – and I've learned on how to deal with my insecurities and be more sensitive to the things around me." She took her head off my shoulder, looked at me tenderly with her blue eyes, and said, "You made me feel a new person – right after my fever was cured."

I looked at her back and smiled. "You'll always be the Misty that I know," I said to her.

"Ash…"

The sun became a semi-circle in the horizon, as I watched the hues of orange, yellow, and red build up from where the sun was – until the hues turned into blue, purple, and black. Afternoon seemed to fall into night suddenly, and we were still soaking wet from the bath.

We were able to start a fire – even though we had trouble doing so, but a friendly Numel came by and helped us. In return for its help, we decided to take care of the Numel – so I had a new Pokémon in my team. I had Misty hold my Corphish for a while – since I had seven already in the roster. We had only very little to eat – the cooking that mom made this breakfast. Yet we all enjoyed it.

And when we were ready to settle into sleeping, I went through my bag and took out a flashlight and a paper. I took out the paper – the letter I made when I was still in May's home.

"Ash," Misty took notice of the letter, "what's that you have?"

"Oh this," I handed Misty the letter, "it's a letter I made when I was in May's home – it's the reply of the letter you gave to me."

"Oh," Misty said and she remembered the letter she had made for me, "can I read?"

"Sure," I answered, "but it would be nicer if I read it aloud to you."

"No problem," Misty said and she drew close to me.

I unfolded the letter and turned on the flashlight so that its light would shine on the paper for me to read. I read out: "Dear Misty, Hello – I secretly wrote this letter in May's house… I didn't want either May or Max to find out that this letter was for you. I admit – you're still the person I hold closest in my heart. This is the reply of the letter you sent me.

"Being electrified by your own Pokémon is not really severe for me. But you had an additional effect to it. Not only did the shock render you unconscious, but when you fell into the water – you drowned instantly because the shock shut down your system. This was the real cause of the coma.

"I understand how sentimental and lonely you can feel without me – especially when you lose your concentration because I'm not there to cheer you on. I had a great time in the Hoenn region with May, Max, and Brock – and also in the Sinnoh region with Dawn and Brock. But honestly, you're still lingering in my mind everywhere I went – your tangerine hair, those blue tender eyes, the caressing voice – I could not forget them. Sometimes, it could even make me think I could shout out your name in the middle of the night. I guess we can never forget someone when we come across them even for twenty seconds.

"Misty, wherever you are, wherever you may go, always know that our hearts are still connected – from where you are, to the time we think of each other – to the time when our hearts will meet: yesterday, today, now, tomorrow, and forever. I love you, Misty."

After reading the letter, I looked at Misty closely. She was looking at me so tenderly as if an angel possessed her. But I knew that this angel in her would be one of the sweetest cherubs from the heavens. Tears were flowing out from her eyes – the words of the letter must've captivated her so much. Then it just came suddenly… we momentarily embraced each other so tight as if we were locked in a chain that could not break us apart.

"Misty," I said to her, "I – I truly, madly, deeply, really, and downrightly love you very, hopelessly, and blissfully much." And I was not embarrassed in doing this. Could this absence of embarrassment be a key sign that Misty was the one for me?

"Ash…"

Just by looking at each other – I could feel when that angel of love could come by and strike all its arrows on us. But then yet, our heads drew closer for what we truly desired. Our eyes slowly closed then we let the whole outcome come to us. I could feel it just inches away – so close, so close – just a little more. My thoughts shut down, and the next thing I knew – it finally came. Our lips met in an aura of passion and true love. We held it there until moments could pass.

While they met and held on, flashbacks came to me: how I met Misty for the first time, following Pikachu's ruining of Misty's bike… then the memory of battling her for the Cascade Badge – and how I took the "victorious" deed… and everyday pictures just kept on flashing – from the everyday adventures to the secrets of the darkest night… and the moment when we had to part – the moment where I really loved most, because the parting never meant goodbye forever… just goodbye for now. And then I found myself here – with the girl I met on the day I left home to start in my journey. She was my infatuation, my obsession, my passion, my dream, my longing, my love, my desire… my Misty.

We let go – but we wanted more. It was only a minute – but one minute was one eternity.

I wrapped Misty under my arm so that we could sleep for the night. Without letting go of the letter that I made, I leaned my head on Misty's head, which was on my shoulder… "The air connects all of us," I whispered. Somehow, those words could not get off from my mind. Norman's words were so inspiring.

* * *

The next day, we woke up fresh – the weather and the surrounding started out beautiful – and we were all fit to travel. We traveled seven hundred meters back to the road – and even with Misty's taunts, I just laughed them off and said, "The sooner we get back to Cerulean, the better."

It had been only a day since Misty had the fever. But for me, I could feel one coming up. It was a kind of fever that could never be cured – love fever.

A short hour after we traveled back in the path, we arrived in the main road to Cerulean City, it was just a short downhill climb until we would reach the City of the Blue Aura.

"We're finally here," I said to Misty and Pikachu, who was in my shoulder.

"And you're finally together," said a soft voice behind us.

Misty and I turned around to see who was talking. The voice was familiar, but all I could see were two figures emerging from the shade of the trees. One of them seemed to be a male, and the other a female. The both of them were holding hands and were approaching us slowly. And when they came into the light, the male one put out a smile.

"I have returned."

My eyes widened and my jaws dropped. I couldn't believe what I was seeing – Brock! And beside him – was the Pike Queen, Lucy!

"No way," my head shook in amazement and my smile widened.

"Welcome back Brock," Misty spoke.

"You two will make a promising couple," Lucy spoke slowly. "I'm surprised that you're mature enough to handle things such as emotion and romance, Ash." I just scratched my head and thanked her.

"Wow Brock," I said to him as I looked at the both of them, "I didn't know you'd end up in this. Well, I still remember what you told us before you left."

"Yeah," Brock spoke softly and he nodded, "Lucy and I just met by coincidence – the day I left the group. It was kinda funny though – we battled and we ended up in a draw."

"So what are your Pokémon," Misty asked.

Lucy and Brock took out their Pokéballs and released their Pokémon. Brock had his Forretress, Toxicroak, Aggron, and Sudowoodo. Lucy had her Seviper, Milotic, Steelix, and Gyarados.

"Wow," I said, "they're just my type."

**You can proceed to Chapter 20: Detection of Infection from this point. Chapter 19: Three-Way Hostility is a filler of the story. But if you want to read the new style of battling, read on to the end of the chapter.**

"Hey Ash," Brock spoke, "it's been a while now – there's one request I would like to ask. How do you want for a battle? I miss those days."

"A two-on-two," I said, bewildered, "impromptu?"

"Not entirely," Lucy stepped in, "this match will be a triple threat match – there will be trainers that will battle."

"I was hoping for this," Brock told Lucy.

Lucy smiled at him and responded, "You do know your reflexes."

"I'll act as the referee," Misty said. "Let's get this battle on – bring out your Pokémon and let the battle begin."

The field was a triangular one – one end had Brock, another had Lucy, and another had me. I never participated in these kinds of battles. I asked Lucy what are how triple-threat battles worked.

"In a triple-threat battle," Lucy started explaining, "three trainers pit their Pokémon at the same time in a triangular battlefield. It's not going to be easy though – sometimes, two trainers would team up to take the hostile. When their intended hostile is down, they become hostile to each other and they fight to the finish. And this triple-threat match will involve six Pokémon in the battlefield."

"You're going to have to work out a plan in here," Misty called.

Lucy took her Steelix and Seviper, while Brock took his Aggron and Toxicroak. I scanned their attributes, advantages, and their disadvantages. Brock and Lucy were using poison and steel. Now I knew what to choose. I took out two of my Pokéballs and threw them to the battlefield.

"Go…"

WHAT POKéMON DID ASH CHOOSE? WHO WILL WIN THE TRIPLE THREAT BATTLE?

* * *

Next chapter on Winner Takes Ash: Three-Way Hostility

"Seviper," Lucy called, "let's use that secret move."

"S-Secret move," I said to myself.

"You better be careful Ash," Brock called.

"Cluster Prey," Lucy called.

Wondering what this Cluster Prey worked like, I watched Lucy's Seviper come up at my Pokémon in such intense speed at it seemed like as if it disappeared in thin air.

…

"Sudowoodo," Brock called, "Rock Slide on Seviper!"

"Dig underground," Lucy called.

Upon seeing Seviper dig underground, I knew immediately. Sudowoodo and Seviper were working together – now it would take some physics to counteract their attack. If I could just sense the next attack…

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Existing chapters:**

**Prologue – The Pokemon Masters**

**Chapter 1 – Face-Off**

**Chapter 2 – Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3 – Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4 – Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

**Chapter 5 – Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience**

**Chapter 6 – Forest and Poisons**

**Chapter 7 – It's A Whole New Gym Leader**

**Chapter 8 – Brock's Flashback**

**Chapter 9 – Pains of the Past**

**Chapter 10 – Petalburg Pursuit – To the Maximum!**

**Chapter 11 – Bringing Back the Young Days**

**Chapter 12 – A Little Taste of Darkness**

**Chapter 13 – Nightmares**

**Chapter 14 – A Night in the Meadows**

**Chapter 15 – The Amazing Transformation**

**Chapter 16 – Tidal Terror**

**Chapter 17 – Lost From the Tree**

**Chapter 18 – Love Fever – Stricken!**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Sorry I had to update so late – the monitor just went berserk one day and it showed these really funny-looking lines. No it wasn't a virus – the monitor just broke down. Anyway, I can update the story once again… So did you like the Pokéshipping? Tell me… tell me… please, please… pretty please…

Oh, and the next chapter is a two-on-two-on-two battle, so I hope you guys don't miss it. Once I update the story, please vote in the poll: who do you want Ash to be with in the end. Remember that the end of this month will be the cut-off! Right now, I have to study since it's our finals. Once the finals are done, I'll get back to writing for WTA!

Thanks again to PlagueShower, NotSoOrdinaryNoob, 123LastHitter321, YouCanSeeMeNot, and SuperPapaLicious for the contributions. You know who you are – I just covered your real names with the funny codenames I picked up. Love you all, Pokémon fans!

**The author does not own Pokémon, Nintendo, or GameFreak. The author owns Winner Takes Ash, Pokémon Pearl, and Pokémon Diamond.**

**PowerZone**


	21. Ch19: ThreeWay Hostility

**CHAPTER 19: THREE-WAY HOSTILITY**

Bound by the clutches of exploration...

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 16) "So you're challenging the Battle Frontier," I said to him.

Paul shot a cold look and looked back to the window.

"I see," Paul remarked. "You know, when we get to Pallet Town, we could have a two-on-two double battle. Maybe battling the Sinnoh champion would be an interesting challenge for me to get ready for the next Frontier Brains."

"No problem," I accepted the challenge, "I'm not allowed to lose."

"We're still rivals you know," Paul smirked, "and I love making my rivals lose."

(Chapter 13) "I just can't," I spoke, "the nightmares just keep coming back to me."

May was a concerning person, and this was one part I loved about May.

"Ash," May spoke gently, "the nightmares might come back – but I'll be here always to block them. Don't worry, I'll fend them off and take care of you, okay?"

(Chapter 15) "Misty," said a woman's voice, "you came!"

Misty turned around and saw Whitney, the Goldenrod City gym leader, approach her.

"Whitney," Misty felt surprised, "it's good to see you. And you've – grown!" That fact was true. Whitney was a few centimeters shorter than Misty when she, Brock, and Ash were traveling in the Johto region. Now, Whitney was approximately two inches taller than Misty. Whitney turned around once.

"Thanks," Whitney said. "Are you prepared?"

"Yeah," Misty answered. Then she realized something, "So it was you who sent the poster to the Cerulean City gym!"

* * *

**As I said in the previous chapter, this chapter is a filler… but if you want to continue, then read on.**

"Hey Ash," Brock spoke, "it's been a while now – there's one request I would like to ask. How do you want for a battle? I miss those days."

"A two-on-two," I said, bewildered, "impromptu?"

"Not entirely," Lucy stepped in, "this match will be a triple threat match – there will be trainers that will battle."

"I was hoping for this," Brock told Lucy.

Lucy smiled at him and responded, "You do know your reflexes."

"I'll act as the referee," Misty said. "Let's get this battle on – bring out your Pokémon and let the battle begin."

The field was a triangular one – one end had Brock, another had Lucy, and another had me. I never participated in these kinds of battles. I asked Lucy what are how triple-threat battles worked.

"In a triple-threat battle," Lucy started explaining, "three trainers pit their Pokémon at the same time in a triangular battlefield. It's not going to be easy though – sometimes, two trainers would team up to take the hostile. When their intended hostile is down, they become hostile to each other and they fight to the finish. And this triple-threat match will involve six Pokémon in the battlefield."

"You're going to have to work out a plan in here," Misty called.

Lucy took her Steelix and Seviper, while Brock took his Aggron and Toxicroak. I scanned their attributes, advantages, and their disadvantages. Brock and Lucy were using poison and steel. Now I knew what to choose. I took out two of my Pokéballs and threw them to the battlefield.

"Go Glalie and Staraptor," I called the both of them out from their Pokéballs – the two of them appeared in the modified triangular battlefield. They stood prepared. "Listen up! Those four are your opponents. But those four all also opponents to each other. This is a two-on-two-on-two match! Are you ready?"

Glalie nodded while Staraptor flapped its wings – they were ready.

"Hold it," Lucy called, "let's make the stakes simpler. We will use two Pokémon each in a one-on-one-on-one. Can we agree?"

"Not a problem," Brock answered.

"No sweat," I called.

Misty looked at the three of us and scanned all of our Pokémon. When she was satisfied, she said, "Bring your first Pokémon to the battlefield."

"Aggron," Brock called, "you're on!" Aggron stepped into the triangular battlefield.

"Seviper," Lucy called, "let's go!" Seviper slithered forward.

"Staraptor," I called, "let's do this!" Staraptor flew forward.

"Begin," Misty called.

Staraptor was always the quickest. "Aerial Ace," I called. Staraptor launched itself into the air and disappeared out of sight. It would think that Staraptor was aiming for Seviper, because Aerial Ace would do very little good against Aggron – so Lucy prepared herself.

"Aggron," Brock called, "start off with Iron Tail!"

Aggron launched at Seviper and got ready to slam its tail.

"Seviper," Lucy called, "Flamethrower now!"

Seviper shot out a stream of fire from its mouth and shot it at Aggron. Brock was well prepared. The fire hit Aggron – but it didn't seem to be affected.

"Charge it," Brock called.

Aggron absorbed some fire damage into its tail – to create an Ironflame Tail. And when the attack found its mark – Aggron dealt both steel and fire damage to Seviper. When I looked at Lucy, I wondered – why was she still smiling even after Seviper suffered the first blow? Perhaps she had a tactic planned out in mind…?

"Staraptor," I called, "wherever you are, use Aerial Ace right now – on Aggron!"

"Wh-what," Brock called.

Misty called from the sidelines, "Ash – flying moves don't do good to steel-type Pokémon!"

I know that – but wait until they saw the intended move.

Staraptor suddenly came out from the air and struck Aggron with its tail and went by swiftly. Though Aggron did not suffer much physical damage, the Aerial Ace was intended to activate Seviper's after effects. The wind that flew by Aggron acted as a strengthening effect – and fire suddenly came out from Aggron. Aggron was burned.

"Whoa," Brock called.

"Smooth," Lucy remarked. Then she called out her next move, "Seviper, Poison Tail on Staraptor!"

What could Seviper possibly do to an airborne Pokémon? Seviper readied itself to launch a Poison Tail on Staraptor. And when it did, I called out, "Staraptor look out!" Fortunately, Staraptor evaded the attack.

"Aggron," Brock suddenly called, "grab Seviper by its tail!"

Before Seviper could land on the ground, the burned Aggron got Seviper by its tail and clutched it tightly. Seviper yelped in pain. "Thunder now," Brock called out. And using its energy, Aggron discharged itself with a Thunder attack that connected to Seviper. "Now hurl it around!" And while Aggron was using Thunder, it started hurling Seviper like a flail. "And throw it at Staraptor!" Aggron let go of Seviper and threw it at Staraptor's direction.

"Staraptor," I called, "Whirlwind now!"

Staraptor suddenly created a gust of wind to try and slow down the incoming Seviper. But since it did not see that Seviper was also carrying a series of charges, the moment Seviper touched Staraptor, Staraptor instantly became electrified. It went down to the ground and landed with a heavy thud.

"That's not good," Misty said.

Pikachu and I were shocked.

"Now we're even," Brock said.

…

Aggron was burned, while Staraptor was paralyzed. Because of the paralysis, Staraptor could no longer fly efficiently.

"Seviper," Lucy called, "let's use that secret move."

"S-Secret move," I said to myself.

"You better be careful Ash," Brock called.

"Cluster Prey," Lucy called.

Wondering what this Cluster Prey worked like, I watched Lucy's Seviper come up at my Pokémon in such intense speed at it seemed like as if it disappeared in thin air.

"Look out," Misty called.

Without even realizing what happened, Seviper just came out of nowhere and caught Staraptor by its feet and used its tail to hurl it up in the air. And when Staraptor came back to the ground, Seviper struck it mightily.

"What does Cluster Prey do," I asked.

"It's just like your Aerial Ace," Lucy responded. "Cluster Prey never misses – and it will always hit successfully, even if Seviper is paralyzed."

"Staraptor," I called, "get a hold of yourself! Steel Wing now!"

Staraptor raised its wings and compressed the feathers to make it look like steel, then it struck a good blow at Seviper.

"Aggron," Brock called, "Water Pulse!"

What!? A steel-Pokémon using a water attack? Aggron shot out a stream of water from its body and aimed it at the direction of the two close Pokémon.

"Brace yourselves," Lucy called.

"Watch out," I called.

Staraptor covered itself with its wings, while Seviper coiled itself. The water rushed by the both of them – Staraptor could instantly feel the jet of water rushing into its system. But when the water cleared, only Staraptor was in the battlefield. Seviper had gone underground to evade the water easier.

"Iron Tail," Brock called.

From out of nowhere, Aggron appeared right in front of Staraptor and slammed its tail on it. But because Aggron was burned, the attack gave very little damage.

"Dig up," Lucy called.

The moment Aggron landed on the ground with its tail on Staraptor, Seviper struck from the ground and hit both Staraptor and Aggron. Seviper's intended attack was for Aggron, however, and Aggron, being a steel and rock type, suffered quad damage from the ground move. But it still didn't give up.

"Staraptor," I called, "Close Combat on Aggron now!"

Before Aggron could land back to the ground, Staraptor flew up to Aggron's level and started hitting a series of wing attacks, claws, and headbutts that made it look like Staraptor was punching Aggron. And since Close Combat was a fighting move, Aggron suffered another quad damage.

"That should do it," I said to myself. Aggron landed heavily on the ground with a huge thud and fainted.

"Aggron is unable to battle," Misty called.

"That was just a warm-up," Brock said as he returned his Aggron back to its Pokéball. "Now you'll see what I've prepared for you." He threw his other Pokéball to the battlefield. "You're on, Sudowoodo!" The Pokéball popped open and Brock's Sudowoodo appeared in the triangular battlefield.

"I thought you'd use Toxicroak," I tried to clarify.

"I can change my mind easily," Brock said. "But I haven't broken a rule – overall." Then he declared his first move, "Sudowoodo, Sandstorm!"

Sudowoodo let out a stream of sand around itself and then scattered the sandstorm around the whole place. This would give Staraptor and Seviper a disadvantage.

"Staraptor," I called, "Whirlwind to blow the storm away!"

Staraptor, just nearby Seviper, used Whirwind to blow the surrounding sand around it. But Sudowoodo's Sandstorm attack was refined – and sand just kept coming back to Staraptor. "No good," I thought bitterly.

"Seviper," Lucy called, "Haze!"

To add to the sandstorm, Seviper shrouded the entire battlefield with a black mist. Now there was a Sand Haze in the battlefield – and Staraptor's visibility was reduced to minimum while getting buffeted by the Sandstorm. The best thing I could do is try to find a good offense as quickly as possible, or wait until the Sandstorm would subside.

"Staraptor," I called, "fly up quickly!"

Staraptor, not knowing where it was in the battlefield, flew up from the Sand Haze. When it flew to a satisfying height, it scanned the battlefield for any signs of Seviper and Sudowoodo. "Aerial Ace," I called, and Staraptor whirled itself back into the Sand Haze and disappeared in it.

"Rock Tomb," Brock called.

Even if Sudowoodo, Seviper, and Staraptor were not visible from outside, all what I can hear were rolling sounds of rocks – Sudowoodo was using Rock Tomb… but where and to whom?

"Seviper," Lucy called, "get up close with Sudowoodo!" Seviper, being a fang snake Pokémon, slowly crept through the haze until it could get a clear view of Sudowoodo. Even in the pitch black, a snake would always find its way through while picking up vibrations from its surroundings. This was just Seviper did – as it tried to find the source of the Rock Tomb.

"Now," I called.

And suddenly, Staraptor appeared out of nowhere and hit Sudowoodo squarely. And just as Staraptor maneuvered the move, so did Lucy, who said, "Crunch, now!" Inside the Sand Haze, Seviper leapt forward and crushed Staraptor under its fangs. Because of the Close Combat attack that Staraptor attempted at Aggron earlier, Staraptor's defense power had dropped.

"Sudowoodo," Brock called immediately, "Double Edge on Staraptor, quickly!"

While it could still get a good view on the assaulted Staraptor, Sudowoodo charged forward immensely and slammed its whole body on the crunched Staraptor. Staraptor suffered double damage, and Seviper let go. The moment Seviper let go of Staraptor, the Sandstorm and the Haze subsided in unison. Sudowoodo, Seviper, and Staraptor were facing each other in a triangular manner.

"Now this is an interesting turn of events," Lucy said.

"Should we use the combination," Brock suggested.

"Uh oh," I said to myself. "_A combination move…_"

"Let's try," Lucy said.

"Sudowoodo," Brock called, "Rock Slide on Seviper!"

"Dig underground," Lucy called.

Upon seeing Seviper dig underground, I knew immediately. Sudowoodo and Seviper were working together – now it would take some physics to counteract their attack. If I could just sense the next attack…

"Staraptor," I called, "brace yourself!"

Staraptor was already physically weak, but it could still hold on for another two to three turns – if it wasn't severely hit in the next turn. I scanned quickly the battlefield – Sudowoodo was still standing there, and Seviper was nowhere to be seen.

"Staraptor," I called, "use Whirlwind on Sudowoodo!"

Staraptor let out a gust of wind straight for Sudowoodo and the rocks that Sudowoodo had created.

"Mega Kick," Brock called.

That Mega Kick was not for Staraptor, but for the rocks. The rocks were smashed aside and Sudowoodo quickly got away from the Whirlwind. The attack now went inside the hole where Seviper had entered. And upon seeing this, I realized that I made a fatal mistake.

"Seviper," Lucy called, "Cluster Prey!"

It came immediately. Even while Staraptor was in mid-air, Seviper attempted to grab a hold of Staraptor's feet, then with one big toss with its tail, Seviper slammed Staraptor into the ground.

"We knew you'd use a good flying attack," Brock explained the combination. "You see, when air travels down this hole, it siphons the empty air underground and converts it into a strong wind. That's why Seviper can take off from underground like a jet plane."

I felt a bit disheartened yet pleased. "You really put yourself into Pokémon battles lately, huh?"

Brock smiled. "Let's just say that things turned for something else."

Staraptor was still up – but only for a few seconds. And then it fell down to the ground and fainted.

"Staraptor is unable to battle," Misty called.

I returned Staraptor to its Pokéball. "You had a lot of fun," I said to it. "Now you should need some rest." I pocketed the Pokéball and told Glalie. "You're on, Glalie!"

Glalie hovered into the battlefield. I would ensure that Sudowoodo would not use any Earthquake attack and hopefully counteract the combination they previously made.

"Let's begin," Lucy called. "Seviper, Flamethrower that Glalie!"

Oh crap, I forgot about the Flamethrower!

Seviper shot out a burst of flame from its mouth and directed it at Glalie. I had to think fast.

"Headbutt," I called, "and give it a whirl!"

Glalie charged head-first (ironically since it's only a head, after all) and twisted its head. The Flamethrower hit Glalie fiercely, but it didn't give up. To add power to the Flamethrower I would need to counteract, Glalie's Headbutt had to have rotations. Plus, a little help of the wind, the whole double move would be complete. Seviper was a shade too late to stop its Flamethrower… and Glalie, fused together with fire, transferred its flaming body into Seviper. Although Glalie took a considerable amount of fire damage, Seviper got two doses of its own medicine. And to add to it, Seviper was burned.

"I almost completely hadn't thought of that," Lucy said.

"_It looks like I'm the first to lose,_" I said to myself, "_but it doesn't matter anymore._"

"Sudowoodo," Brock called, "Sandstorm, again!"

"_Again…?_"

Earlier, Seviper was able to find my Staraptor in the midst of the Sandstorm and Haze. So I should look out for Seviper. If my Glalie would get caught, I'm done for… Sudowoodo shot out a stream of sand and had some dust particles whirl around the battlefield.

"Brace yourself," Lucy called.

"Glalie," I called, "shoot an Ice Beam to the air, and don't move!"

Glalie, somewhere in the sandstorm, shot an Ice Beam to the sky. The four of us saw it, but Seviper and Sudowoodo didn't. Glalie was just a few distance away from where Lucy was.

It would either be attack in the midst of the sandstorm, or wait until the sandstorm subsided.

"Seviper," Lucy called, "Flamethrower around you!"

Seviper, somewhere in the Sandstorm, shot a stream of flame from its mouth. Since the sandstorm was buffeting everywhere in the battlefield, the Flamethrower added a little more heat to the sandstorm. Now I knew their strategy: they would go all-out against Glalie.

"Glalie," I called quickly, "Powder Snow!"

Glalie, somewhere in the Sandstorm, shot out a glittering mist. And like the Flamethrower, the ice buffeted around the place. So the overall combination would be something like a Snowflame Sandstorm. Those in the battlefield would be affected by at least two of the elements: Seviper for all three, Glalie for fire and rock, and Sudowoodo for fire and ice. And upon looking at the intense storm in the battlefield, I realized that Seviper was in a serious disadvantage.

"Seviper," Lucy called, "dig underground!"

Although we couldn't notice a thing, Seviper dug underground.

"_The best way to counteract a weather condition is to use another weather condition,_" I said to myself. "_But the problem is that Glalie doesn't know how to use Hail._" Boy, that's a very big problem.

"Sudowoodo," Brock called, "Rock Slide!"

If they were going to use another combination, I would have to be ready.

"You shouldn't think the unexpected," Lucy said to Brock. Then she called out, "Seviper, Dig up!"

From somewhere in the Snowflame Sandstorm, Seviper dug up. The moment Seviper came out from underground, something incredible happened. The Snowflame Sandstorm suddenly rose up into the air and subsided on its own.

"What just happened," Brock called.

"_Of course,_" I knew the whole plan. "_Seviper dug underground and built a tunnel long enough for air to come in. Sudowoodo's Rock Slide sealed Seviper and the trapped air. Then when Seviper dug up, the air came out like a sudden burst of wind._"

"You already knew it, Ash," Lucy said to me, "it was a good way to counteract a Sandstorm attack without using a Whirlwind attack."

"My," Brock remarked, "that was interesting!"

"Seviper," Lucy called, "Cluster Prey that Glalie!"

Seviper slithered forward side to side at intense speed. Like what happened a little while ago, Seviper's speed made it look like that it was disappearing.

"Not so fast," Brock called immediately, "Sucker Punch, now!"

Even if Seviper was quick on its tail, Sudowoodo was quicker on its feet. Sucker Punch was a move that always hit first, no matter how close the other foe may be. Sudowoodo packed a big punch on Seviper's underside.

"Glalie," I called, "Headbutt!"

Glalie charged head-first toward Seviper and landed a severe blow. Seviper landed back on the ground and fainted.

"That hurt," Lucy remarked with a frown as she called back her Seviper.

"Even after suffering the first blow," Misty said, "that Seviper really held out strong!"

"Steelix," Lucy said to her standby Pokémon, "you're on!"

The steel snake went forward to face Glalie and Sudowoodo. Being a steel and ground type, Steelix would have the advantage over the two by its attribute. But anything could happen… and perhaps, things could turn out for something unexpected.

"Glalie," I called, "start off with Ice Beam at Sudowoodo!"

"Steelix," Lucy called, "Iron Tail on Glalie!"

"Sudowoodo," Brock called, "Hammer Arm on Steelix!"

Glalie shot an Ice Beam attack at Sudowoodo. Sudowoodo swiftly dodged it and charged forward to attempt a Hammer Arm on Steelix. Steelix also dodged the attack, and it swiveled its tail to land an Iron Tail attack on Glalie. Glalie dodged the attack at the last second.

"Making a circular attack won't work," I said.

…

Glalie and Sudowoodo suffered considerable amounts of damage in battle because of Steelix's area-of-effect Earthquake and Stone Edge attack. Sudowoodo became more vulnerable to Steelix's Double Edge attack, while Glalie just kept on dodging any moves that were thrown at it. To defeat a steel-and-ground type, and not to mention that Steelix was heavily defended and really heavy, I guess I would have to work with Brock.

"Brock," I called, "how about we played a little offensive?'

'Well," Brock seemed to accept the agreement, "what do you have in mind?"

"Hmm," Lucy said as she folded her arms and smirked, "I like the sound of that – a collaboration! Show me what you've got!"

Glalie and Sudowoodo circled themselves around Steelix.

"A direct attack," Lucy said, "is that the strategy?"

"Just wait and see," I said. I eyed Misty; she seemed to be tense about the match – and she hardly spoke a word since the match began, except when proclaiming that one of the Pokémon was unable to battle. I put my eyes back on the battlefield and I called out, "Glalie, Headbutt!"

"Sudowoodo," Brock called, "Hammer Arm!"

"You've got to be kidding me," Lucy said. "Dodge it, Steelix!"

Steelix got out of the way – so that Sudowoodo and Glalie would be charging against each other.

"Give it a twirl," I called. Glalie suddenly twirled around with the Headbutt. "Then turn counter-clockwise!" Glalie turned around so that its underside of its head-body faced Sudowoodo's incoming Hammer Arm attack.

"Pack it a good punch," Brock called.

The moment Sudowoodo's Hammer Arm attack struck Glalie, Glalie suddenly charged forward – this time at Steelix. Because Glalie was still using Headbutt, Glalie's attack was intended for Steelix. The maneuver was perfect – Glalie's Headbutt, packed with intense acceleration from Sudowoodo, hit Steelix severely on its head. The result, Steelix became confused – probably because the Headbutt attack disoriented it.

"That was perfect," I told Brock. "And perfect timing nonetheless."

"It was all too simple," Brock said.

"So it makes the three of us even," Lucy said as she regained her composure from being flustered after seeing the expected unexpected. "There's no other way out of it!"

Perhaps it was time that the match ended – in a draw.

"I call for a draw," I said.

"A draw, huh," Lucy caught my suggestion. "You can't give up easily, Ash. The Pokémon Master wouldn't want to have that."

"That wasn't what I meant," I said to Lucy. "What I meant was that we make one final move – our strongest one. Whoever stands up after the clash will be the winner."

"Let's try it," Brock seemed to like the suggestion. "Just because the sun's already blazing overhead – and we don't want to be blinded for staying too long underneath."

"I guess it would be that way," Lucy said.

"Are you ready," I called.

"When you are," Lucy responded.

Brock nodded.

"Glalie," I called, "Double Edge and give it a twirl!"

"Steelix," Lucy called, "Double Edge now!"

"Sudowoodo," Brock called, "you use your Double Edge!"

The three Double Edge attacks were maneuvered at the same time. The three Pokémon came towards each other in a tripod manner. And once the three Pokémon came in direct contact with each other, the intense force that the three of them sprouted out was felt. I had to shield Pikachu and myself from being swept away. Misty crouched low on the ground to prevent the same thing. Brock and Lucy stayed still as they tried to stand their ground.

The force that swept by went through quickly, and when it was gone – we all saw the outcome of the final blast. It was amazing – Steelix, Glalie, and Sudowoodo were still standing… yet their eyes were all spiraled… Funny, but true…

"It's just like you said," Lucy called, "a draw."

Steelix, Glalie, and Sudowoodo all collapsed to the ground – having fainted beforehand.

"All three are unable to battle," Misty declared, "this match is a draw!"

We all returned our three Pokémon back to their Pokéballs.

"And that's how a triple-threat battle works," Lucy said.

"It seems pretty normal to me," I commented. "It's just like a normal battle – it's just that you have to look from one Pokémon to another just to know what your opponents are thinking."

"I hope we all learned something from here," Brock said and he approached Lucy.

"Let's all head to the Cerulean gym to cool down," I suggested.

The five of us – me, Pikachu, Misty, Lucy, and Brock – left the spot. We decided to leave the place as is… after seeing that the whole place had turned into something like an earthquake just hit it. And perhaps I would get to see the people who I left before I set out for the Hoenn region just a few months ago.

* * *

Next chapter on Winner Takes Ash: Detection of Infection – A Virus Like No Other!

"Brock," Dawn suddenly leapt up, "you're back!" Dawn came running over to Brock and Lucy. "We thought you'd never come back!"

"Well," Brock said, "I'm here already."

Dawn smiled at Brock.

"So this is the girl you talked to me about," Lucy told Brock while looking at Dawn. "This is the Pokémon Coordinator from Sinnoh, Dawn, right?"

…

Ash," Tracey said the moment I came back to the gym, "you look tense."

Without paying attention to Tracey I went to Misty's locker room. Dawn and Lucy were inside. I swiftly took my bag and my vest from one of the benches and went out.

"Hey," Dawn called and went after me, "where are you going Ash?"

"Home," I answered impatiently, "I have business to deal with."

**To be continued…

* * *

**

**Existing chapters:**

**Prologue – The Pokemon Masters**

**Chapter 1 – Face-Off**

**Chapter 2 – Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3 – Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4 – Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

**Chapter 5 – Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience**

**Chapter 6 – Forest and Poisons**

**Chapter 7 – It's A Whole New Gym Leader**

**Chapter 8 – Brock's Flashback**

**Chapter 9 – Pains of the Past**

**Chapter 10 – Petalburg Pursuit – To the Maximum!**

**Chapter 11 – Bringing Back the Young Days**

**Chapter 12 – A Little Taste of Darkness**

**Chapter 13 – Nightmares**

**Chapter 14 – A Night in the Meadows**

**Chapter 15 – The Amazing Transformation**

**Chapter 16 – Tidal Terror**

**Chapter 17 – Lost From the Tree**

**Chapter 18 – Love Fever – Stricken!**

**Chapter 19 – Three-Way Hostility

* * *

**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

…

Nothing really… a filler won't really need an author's note. Check my profile for the partial results of the poll… you've got only a week left until the poll closes!

And what's Ash so impatient about?

**The author does not own Pokémon, Nintendo, or GameFreak. The author owns Winner Takes Ash, Pokémon Pearl, and Pokémon Diamond.**

**PowerZone**


	22. Ch20: Detection of Infection

**CHAPTER 20: DETECTION OF INFECTION - A VIRUS LIKE NO OTHER!**

What decision will he make on choices that will seriously affect his outcome?

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 18) "Ash," Misty started slowly.

I looked at her. "Yes?"

Misty didn't get to say another word – but she just placed her head on my left shoulder and whispered, "Thanks."

I smiled and lowered my head, so that the brim of my cap would cover my face. Even though I closed my eyes, I could get this feeling that Misty was smiling.

(Chapter 14) "B-but you c-can't leave," May started sobbing, "I've grown so much attached to you."

I stood up, looked at May, and said, "Right now, the only thing that matters most is your father. You can be with me soon when I come back."

Pikachu leapt on my shoulder.

"Ash…"

I looked down on May and smiled, "May, don't worry… it won't be an easy task. Who knows? You might just be the one."

(Chapter 3) "You know I realize that maybe I should be a little less sentimental and a little more aggressive."

"You were almost always like hat," I slipped those words from my mouth.

"Hmph," she grumbled, "I could've smashed you anyway."

* * *

**STORY PROPER:**

**The chapter is divided into three parts.  
**

**PART 1 – THE PIKACHU ISSUE**

It felt good to be back here – and seeing how much things have changed for the past two months or so, I guess I have to look for something new. Pikachu seemed fine – even after showing the new move, Volt Barrage, to Dawn and Tracey. The both of them hung their jaws open because they couldn't believe it – colored thunderbolt attacks and the intensity of the attack. But I guess it couldn't be helped.

"Oh man," Misty said as she put down the bag on top of the reception desk and proceeded to the aquarium room to check on her Pokémon.

"You should check Misty's new Pokémon," I suggested to Tracey. Tracey nodded and he followed Misty into the aquarium. Dawn and I were left in the reception room. We stayed silent for a while. And just being with Dawn could I recall the things that happened for the past two months.

"_You're not – going, right," Dawn squeaked._

_I put down the note and stood up. pikachu tugged my pants and ran back to the room. I guess Pikachu wanted to go to Petalburg._

_"I can't leave a problem unsolved," I told Dawn. "I guess there's no choice."_

_I walked slowly back to the room to get ready. In the room, while I placed all my available clothes in my bag, Dawn called me from the doorway. "Will you be back," she asked worriedly. No me meant a miserable Dawn._

_After I placed my last shirt in the bag, I wore the bag on my bag and went over to Dawn. I looked at her for a while then planted a soft kiss on her forehead and said, "Don't worry, Dawn. I'll be back soon."_

_She smiled a little._

…

_"Ash," May spoke silently after we broke from the kiss, "is this… still a downright lie?"_

_"I don't think so," I answered. "This is downright truth. And I'm saying sorry."_

_May understood what I meant and smiled. The last thing I saw before we got back to a livelier kissing was a tear that was shed from the pains that we endured; the tear that I thought would separate me and her forever_.

And it all happened so quickly that I found myself back in the reception room with Dawn in front of me.

"Did you miss me," I asked her suddenly.

Dawn looked at me through silent eyes – expressionless and blank. Had she found out? I wanted this whole situation to end quickly so that everything would be back to normal. "_This has to be a nightmare,_" I thought to myself.

Brock and Lucy were the last ones to come into the Cerulean City gym.

"Wow," Lucy started the moment she and Brock entered the gym, "this place feels like we can all relax and enjoy the day."

I turned to look at them.

"Well," Brock said to me, "I never thought I'd be coming back – but I guess I did. So maybe I should start where I left off." I knew that too well – because even two months passed, Brock's story of his flashback could not be forgotten. And just by looking at the reception desk, it seemed that the series of events were recreating itself.

"Brock," Dawn suddenly leapt up, "you're back!" Dawn came running over to Brock and Lucy. "We thought you'd never come back!"

"Well," Brock said, "I'm here already."

Dawn smiled at Brock.

"So this is the girl you talked to me about," Lucy told Brock while looking at Dawn. "This is the Pokémon Coordinator from Sinnoh, Dawn, right?"

"Yes," Dawn looked at Lucy.

"Nice to meet you," Lucy said to Dawn. "I'm Lucy." Lucy held out a hand for Dawn to shake. Dawn took it. "Personally, I used to be the Battle Frontier Pike Queen." And the two girls settled to a conversation in another part of the reception room. Brock approached me and sat on the sofa opposite mine.

"So how were things," Brock started.

"Fine," I answered, "so far."

"You know," said Brock, "you should tell me sometime what you did while I was gone. It's worth knowing, at least." Brock's manner of speaking had become so much gentle – perhaps it was this motivation that he got from Lucy, or he wanted to shake the issue with his ex-girlfriend off.

I chuckled for a short bit and responded, "We can talk about sometime."

Perhaps Brock was the only adviser that I can turn to – because heck I had lots of confusions lately. And I still remember well during the time Misty was unconscious. I turned to look back at Lucy and Dawn, who instantly became friends by just talking in the other side of the room.

Misty and Tracey came back to the reception room from the aquarium room.

"I didn't know your Psyduck could do that," Tracey told Misty.

"Well it was just as it happened," Misty responded, "perhaps it was motivation…"

"Well, well," Brock said to Tracey, "perhaps Psyduck did evolve – finally?"

Tracey, the moment he saw Brock in the reception room, suddenly became excited. "Brock – you're back!" The two of them shook hands and looked into each other's eyes. "Perhaps you should start where you left off." The two let go, and Tracey looked around. He spotted Dawn and Lucy.

"Hey," he said, "isn't that the Battle Frontier Pike Queen, Lucy?"

"Yeah," Brock said.

"She's Brock's new girlfriend," I finished.

"WHOA," Tracey yelped. "No matter you were such a pessimist when it came to girls. Good luck!"

Brock chuckled and he turned to the door. "I still remember what I said when I shared the flashback with you – everything is just as rocky as it is whenever I get into a relationship." His tone was not only gentle, but also motivated. "And those are the trials that I must face."

"Heh," Tracey laughed, "same old Brock – same old days."

"That's how we look at him," Misty spoke, "but we'll be seeing lots of new things from now on – now that the troupe is back." She patted Brock on the back.

"Group hug," Tracey called.

The whole situation became merrier than what happened. Perhaps Brock and Tracey were right. Not only Brock should go back to where he left off, but all of us. But even as I would do, I would never forget the two months – from the inevitable to the most unexpected. Lucy and Dawn also gathered for a group hug – and all of us became one again. "One for all – all for one!"

* * *

Lots of things occurred and many changed, and there were still some questions left unanswered. The longer I looked at Pikachu, the bigger the question mark hanging above my head became. I wanted to look for the source of Pikachu's colored Thunderbolt attacks. It had to rule out the possibility that Pikachu gained the weird ability of Pikachu producing colored lightning because Pikachu was my partner for a very long time. The first time Pikachu started to produce the colored Thunderbolt attacks and the Volt Barrage move was the time when I battled Max and his Sneasel. Could this strange ability come from the Sneasel that Pikachu battled?

When the idea came to me, I rushed immediately to the Pokémon Center with Pikachu at my side. Pikachu didn't seem to have any idea, but I had to find answers as soon as possible. In the Pokémon Center, I asked Nurse Joy if I could use the communicator. She allowed me so I went to one of them. I linked up to Professor Oak's laboratory – it was Gary who took the call.

"Gary," I started, "is Professor Oak there?"

"Um," Gary answered, "not yet. He's still there with his research."

"Can you possibly link me to the laboratory in Auraspark Island," I asked. I couldn't believe that I remembered the name of the island.

"I'll see," Gary said. The transmission with Gary ended – and a few seconds later, he was able to connect me to the laboratory in Auraspark Island. The person who answered the communication was Professor Birch.

"Oh," he started while stroking his goatee, "it's you, Ash. What do you wish to ask?"

"Is Professor Oak around," I asked.

Professor Birch in the communicator screen looked around and answered, "Professor Oak is here alright. Do you want to talk to him?"

"I have to," I said hastily.

Professor Birch stood up and called out, "Professor Oak!" He left the communicator, and Professor Oak took his place. "Ash, what is it you want to ask?"

"Professor Oak," I started, "I want to know if you have anything about Pikachu's condition."

"You mean the colored lightning," Professor Oak spoke. "I found a good lead about that just a few days ago." When he said that, I rose to my feet and suddenly became giddy. Perhaps he found the answers. "But I'm not really convinced about what we've found out."

I became tense and impatient. "Well, what did you find out?"

"While searching for any leads about our Zapdos research," Professor Oak started, "we came across a small group of Magnemite and Magneton. They also produced the same ability that your Pikachu has – colored lightning attacks." Even with that, I still didn't feel convinced. "I don't think that has anything to do with your Pikachu – unless you can supply me with something that can help."

I tried to think about anything that would help add some pieces to the puzzle. When it came to Max's Sneasel, I remembered something: Gary told Max about the Sneasel. (Review Chapter 10)

_He reached down inside his lab coat pocket and gave Max a Pokéball._

_"Oh wow, is he serious," Max exclaimed as his eyes glowed with excitement upon looking at the Pokéball._

_"You should know that the Pokémon inside was caught in the same island where Professor Oak is working," Gary told Max. Then he said to me, "I also heard that he was using a type suitable for him."_

"Professor," I suddenly spoke. "You captured a Sneasel in that island for Max, right?"

"Yes I did," Professor Oak answered. "It was meant to be a thank-you present for him to be such a very talented assistant. What about it, Ash?"

"Where in the island did you get the Sneasel?" I asked – we're close to solving Pikachu's mystery.

"That was the only Sneasel in the island," Professor Oak answered. "And that Sneasel happened to be straying close to the Magnemite and Magneton and seldom attacking them." Just as I thought.

"Did the Magnemite and Magneton have the colored lightning beforehand?" I asked further.

"When we observed closely," Professor Oak explained, "the Magnemite and Magneton were showering the whole area with red, blue, and green lightning attacks. And when they cleared, the Sneasel was left all alone – defeated." He looked at the Pikachu on my shoulder. "You told me that you battled Max and won because of Pikachu's so-called Volt Barrage attack."

I nodded.

"We looked closer upon those Magnemite and Magneton," Professor Oak concluded, "and we found out that they were infected with the Pokémon Virus."

"V-Virus!?"

"And since our research of the Magnemite and Magneton were genuine," Professor Oak continued, "there's a very high possibility that your Pikachu is also infected with the Pokémon Virus, or Pokérus for short." My eyes were wide in shock – I couldn't believe it. All the times that Pikachu produced the colored electric attacks was because it was infected by a virus?

"I've researched much about the Pokérus some few years ago," Professor Oak said. "The Pokérus has three stages: detection, confirmation, and annihilation. The detection stage usually takes place within the first two months. And because many trainers do not realize that when their Pokémon is infected with the Pokérus, they leave it off, and only do they notice that something's wrong when the Pokérus enters the confirmation stage."

"What's this confirmation stage," I asked. I had been listening carefully to the detection stage.

"During the confirmation stage," Professor Oak explained, "symptoms appear – such as incredible power but very low stamina. It's like an infected electric Pokémon that can only do two Thunderbolt attacks and then pass out. Another symptom is recklessness, infected Pokémon become so aggressive and stressful that they can also attack for no reason. If trainers don't do anything about that within the next three weeks, then the annihilation stage appears.

"The final stage of the Pokérus, the annihilation stage, is the worst. The virus can take over the body systems of the Pokémon and practically rule over it," Professor Oak explained. "There's a fifty-fifty chance that the virus will leave after that or the Pokémon will die from it."

"Die?" I said sharply.

"It's been two months since your Pikachu contained the virus," Professor Oak said. "The good news is that it's still in the detection stage – and we can remove the virus with a vaccine that's saved up in my laboratory. The bad news is that once it gets to the confirmation stage, my vaccine won't do any good.

"And another thing to know about Pokémon Virus," Professor Oak continued. "It spreads – which means that the Pokémon Pikachu has touched or battled against will also be infected with the virus, but the damage dealt by the infected virus is only on a smaller scale."

"Does the virus act on its own," I asked Professor Oak.

"During the first stage, the detection stage," Professor Oak explained, "the virus has a choice whether to continue with its process or leave the host. The virus works when it enters the host, in this case Pikachu, and it begins its process."

"What process does it do," I continued.

"A virus will always alter the genes of the DNA of the host," Professor Oak answered. "This is where the colored Thunderbolt comes in – because the DNA that allows Pikachu to give out electric attacks is altered by the virus. And instead of giving out a normal Thunderbolt attack, the Thunderbolt is 'designed' and often very quick. While it may seem that it would be powerful, it would cost some of Pikachu's energy to do so. And that's why we need Pikachu's condition to get back to normal."

I suddenly remembered – Staraptor, Heracross, Swellow – the time when we were fighting the tidal wave. And then May's Pokémon and Max's Pokémon – the time when we were in May's home. Did they realize it already?

"What can I do about it, Professor Oak," I asked worriedly.

"It's now or never," Professor Oak answered. "You know what to do."

I looked at Pikachu, who looked at me with a very sad look. "I'll do it," I said.

"Good," Professor Oak, "come to my laboratory as soon as possible. I know you're calling me from Cerulean City, but please head to my laboratory – say, tonight."

"Tonight," I said, appalled.

"I know," Professor Oak said, "but I can't be there because it takes three days to get there from here, but Gary will take care of everything. He'll try to get the alien charges that the virus has implanted then let Pikachu take the vaccine."

I nodded. "Yes."

"Good," Professor Oak bade, "Gary will see you tonight, Ash."

And with that, he ended transmission. I looked at Pikachu. "Pikachu," I moaned, "we'll get that virus out you as soon as possible." Even if it meant sacrificing the good for the better, I had to do this. I thanked Nurse Joy, rushed out of the Pokémon Center and back into the Cerulean City gym.

"Ash," Tracey said the moment I came back to the gym, "you look tense."

Without paying attention to Tracey I went to Misty's locker room. Dawn and Lucy were inside. I swiftly took my bag and my vest from one of the benches and went out.

"Hey," Dawn called and went after me, "where are you going Ash?"

"Home," I answered impatiently, "I have business to deal with."

And thankfully without Dawn asking further questions, I stepped back into the reception room and went out of the gym. I called out, "I'll be back tomorrow – I promise!"

* * *

**PART 2 – CONFRONTING TIME ITSELF**

Pikachu was hanging on to my head as I continued running through the city to reach its city limits and to the path that would take me to Viridian City. If I ran at this pace non-stop, I would arrive home before nightfall and I knew that it would be impossible for me to get there before the deadline. No matter, I had to get to Pallet Town. "Pikachu," I thought to myself, "we'll stay strong – no matter what. I assure you." After passing by the last building before the city limits, I stopped. It had been an hour since I started running from the Cerulean gym, and I figured that I couldn't make it back to Pallet Town on time. It was getting hopeless.

"Ash!"

I turned around to see who called me. Surprisingly it was Lt. Surge, the Vermilion City gym leader, and he was driving the Humvee, the same vehicle that I rode from Vermilion to Cerulean. "Get in," he said. And without hesitating, Pikachu and I stepped into the Humvee.

"Professor Oak told me to find you," Lt. Surge explained. "Thankfully, I happened to be here in the city. But that does not matter – let's get going."

"Thank you so much, Lieutenant Surge," I thanked him with lots of gratitude – hope was sparking back.

"You're welcome," Lt. Surge replied, "here we go." He stepped on the gas and the Humvee lurched forward with maximum acceleration. "You've got a deadline to meet and I understand – we'll be there before 7 PM tonight and I assure you!"

When I checked the Pokétch, it was 6:48 PM and the Humvee drove into a stretchy field before arriving in Pallet Town. "Thank goodness we arrived," I told myself. Lt. Surge stopped by my home. In the front of my home were my mother and Gary.

"Ash," mom called, "we've been waiting. How's Pikachu?"

"Pikachu still seems fine," I answered. Pikachu waved a hand.

"Soon it won't," Gary said. "I've heard the whole thing from Professor Oak: that Pikachu is infected by the Pokémon Virus – and it's bad news." He approached me and looked at Pikachu. "If we don't do something about Pikachu, it'll be in danger before we know it."

"So what will we do?" mom asked Gary.

Gary looked at mom and answered, "I was instructed by Professor Oak to prepare the vaccine, but first we have to eliminate the alien charges in Pikachu. The facilities are ready and we better get there as soon as possible."

I nodded and said, "We're ready."

"I'll take you guys there," Lt. Surge stepped in, "we'll be there in no time."

Instead of taking the ten minute walk to Professor Oak's laboratory, it took three minutes in Lt. Surge's Humvee. When we arrived there, we went up the steps to the laboratory. Gary proceeded to the workroom while we waited in the main hall.

"I'll call you once the power is up," Gary said.

We waited quietly until we would hear Gary's confirmation.

"Hey," Lt. Surge said to me, "since when did Pikachu learn to produce colored electric attacks?"

"It just – happened," I answered, "I was battling one of my friends, and in mid-battle, Pikachu just shot a multi-colored barrage of lightning everywhere in the battlefield." I folded my arms and continued, "It was like watching fireworks gone amok."

"Boy," Lt. Surge remarked, "I hope my Raichu could do that."

"And only we find out that a virus is behind all this," I continued.

For five minutes we waited – until something unexpected happened.

"Blackout," I moaned.

It was pitch black and we weren't able to see any shadows of the other people in the room. Gary called out from somewhere, "Don't move from your places, the back-up generator might kick in in a few minutes." Pikachu was still clinging onto my shoulder – I held it close, since it was not used to staying in the dark.

Generators work usually in a few seconds to a maximum of three minutes, but unfortunately the generator did not give in.

"Nothing's happening," I heard Lt. Surge call out.

The workroom Gary went into was sealed and could only be opened when the power is on. But when it's blackout, Gary would have to manually open it using is hands. That was what he did and he went back to the main room.

"What's going on," mom asked nervously.

"I'll try to contact Professor Oak," Gary spoke. There was a small light somewhere in the room – Gary was using his cellular phone.

After a few seconds…

"Professor," Gary started. "It's Gary."

"Gary," came Professor Oak's transmission – it was low, but we were still able to hear it if we all fell silent and listened closely, "how's the progress?"

"Not good," Gary replied, "there's a blackout and the generator won't turn on."

"Maybe it wasn't recharged," Professor Oak suggested.

"That's impossible," Gary cut in, "I just recharged it two days ago – there shouldn't be anything wrong."

"Did you try checking the generator," Professor Oak asked.

"Not yet," Gary said – his voice became lower as he tried to find his way to the back door to the generator. We all stayed there frozen in fear and worry.

"Now what," I whispered. Just a few hours ago, Lieutenant Surge came to help and brought me and Pikachu here to Professor Oak's laboratory. Because of this, I felt hope sprouting from me. But when the unexpected came, it seemed like all this had been shrouded in darkness. I didn't want to imagine how reckless Pikachu would be because of delaying to get the vaccine. The vaccine was just an antidote with a matter of Pikachu drinking it and resting until the effects would take place. But in order for the vaccine to be effective, Pikachu's charges would have to be reduced greatly so that only the alien charges will be left for the vaccine to attack. And to think that not only Pikachu was greatly infected, but also my other Pokémon.

"I hope the generator works," Lt. Surge said.

After a few minutes, we heard Gary come back into the room. "We have some very bad news."

Even if it didn't take listening to the bad news, we knew it. "The generator's busted," he said. "We can only wait until the power comes back." Gary used his cellular phone to find something. He was searching for the telephone and he found it.

"Hello," Gary spoke, "this is Gary Oak and I'm calling from Professor Oak's laboratory in Pallet Town. We're reporting a blackout in here and we desperately need power to conduct a needed operation."

There was silence for a while. It seemed that Gary was calling the electric company. "No, our generator's busted – damaged very badly. We would just like to know what's going on with the power."

Silence again… then Gary spoke, "So what time will the power return?"

After a few seconds, Gary said, "Okay… thank you very much."

With that, Gary returned the receiver and he drew out a huge breath. "It looks like we won't be getting any power for a while."

"How long is a while," I asked like I was about to assault him, even if I couldn't find him in the darkness. "I came all the way here for Pikachu to get better and this is what happens."

"Don't blame me," Gary retorted. "Besides, the power won't be back until 11 PM tonight."

And that added tension to my brain. When I checked my Pokétch, it showed 7:23 PM. There were still four hours until the power could come back.

"What did they say happened," came mom's voice.

"There was an accident in Viridian City," Gary explained. "The victim crashed into an electric post, and the post collapsed and severed its wires. The electricians are working on it, but they have to shut the power supply."

I began to feel impatient and nervous – four hours was too little for Pikachu to enter the second stage of the virus. But what if the virus did – in the margin of four hours…? I didn't want to think about that.

"Why didn't I think of that before," Lt. Surge said.

"Think of what," I said.

"I brought Raichu, Manectric, and Luxio with me," he said. "I could use them to generate electricity on the generator – as long as the main electric connection isn't snapped."

"That's not a bad idea," Gary said. "The main electric connection of the generator wasn't snapped, so why not?"

"However," Lt. Surge continued, "the rooms that will not be needed must not have their lights on so that my Pokémon can charge the generator as little as possible."

It seemed as if things just suddenly turned for the better. "There's no time to waste," I said to Lt. Surge, "let's start right away." And with that, Lt. Surge and Gary went to the back area to where the generator was. And while waiting for the reserve power to turn on, I felt something in my shoulder – an electric shock.

"Pikachu," I said, "did you do that?"

Pikachu answered something that meant a no. And then it came again – a slightly stronger electric shock. I moaned in pain and I shook Pikachu off from my shoulder.

"The second stage is acting up," I thought to myself. And then I called out, "Hurry!"

"Ash," mom said, "what's happening?"

"Pikachu's electric powers are getting reckless," I explained, "starting just a few seconds ago. It's about to enter the stage where the vaccine won't heal Pikachu."

And then the lights came on.

"Mom," I said to her, "turn off all the lights and the appliances in the laboratory except for the workroom. I'll bring Pikachu there now." Mom nodded and she went off. I carried Pikachu to the workroom, but before I could approach the door, I felt another electric shock shoot up to my arms. I yelped in pain and dropped Pikachu.

"Ash," Gary came back, "what's happening?"

"Electric shocks," I told him, "they're shooting up suddenly when I hold Pikachu."

"The second stage is kicking in," Gary said. "There's no time to lose. Let's go!" Gary, Pikachu, and I went inside the workroom. Because the reserve power just came, Gary would have to work on the start-up process – and he said it would take about five minutes or so. And while waiting, Pikachu went up to the capsule.

"Complete," Gary confirmed and he wore his synthetic gloves. He picked up two puffy objects from the table. "These will resist any forced electric attacks that Pikachu might discharge." He placed one on Pikachu's cheek and the other on Pikachu's other cheek – both were placed on where Pikachu's red spots were supposed to be. Gary continued to work on putting the set-up of anti-charging and he strapped Pikachu around an electric absorbent strap.

"The anti-charging process takes about thirty minutes," Gary told me. Then he said to Pikachu, "Don't move around too much, Pikachu. It will hurt a bit, but try to control yourself."

"Pika-pi."

Gary went back to the operating machine and started the anti-charging operation. "We have to do this to remove the electric implants – when the process is complete, Pikachu won't have any electric charges left, and that's when it'll take the vaccine." He said to me, "Check up on Lt. Surge and your mother while waiting."

I went out of the workroom into the dark hallway. It seemed that mom shut the lights of the hallways and rooms that won't be needed. I tried to find my way to the back area. Though I found the back door with a little difficulty, I opened the door forcefully. To my right was a faint electric glow – Lt. Surge was probably there. I went to where the electric glow came from and found Lt. Surge and his Raichu charging some electrical power to its cheeks.

"Are things okay," I asked him.

"We're fine," Lt. Surge answered. "We've got three reserve power sources enough to last six hours, so don't worry." He turned back to Raichu and said, "Control your power Raichu – you don't have to drain too much."

I went back through the back door to the main hall. Mom was in the doorway of the workroom – she was checking up on Pikachu's condition. "Things will be all right," I said to myself as I reclined on one of the sofas.

"The electric draining process is successful," Gary called. At once I stood up and went to the workroom. What I saw inside made my heart skip a beat or two. Pikachu really looked so pale as if it had reached its end of its days. "Ash," he said, "get the vaccine in the storage room. It's under the vaccination cabinet and its container is labeled 'Aspherol'."

I went back to the storage room with mom at my feet. "I'll turn on the lights in there," she told me.

When we arrived in the storage room, mom switched on the lights and I immediately proceeded to the vaccination cabinet. I opened the cabinet and tried to find the container that had the name of the vaccine. "Aspherol, Aspherol, Aspherol…" I said to myself. I read the vaccines and vials, "Arthrym, Arychis, Asmonis, Asnarthium, Aslopsin, Aspherol… Aspherol!" I took the container of Aspherol and closed the vaccination closet carefully. Now I had to get back to the workroom while handling the vaccine carefully.

"Here," I said and I gave it to Gary.

"Good," he said. He got the vaccine – contained in a little vial that had a clear yellow liquid in it. He went over to Pikachu and said, "Pikachu, you better take this. This medicine will make you feel better."

Fortunately, Pikachu stayed calm throughout the whole process and this would make everything easier. He uncorked it and had Pikachu drink the vaccine. "This vaccine is an instant electric re-charger. After an hour, Pikachu's electric conditions will return to normal."

"And then Pikachu will be all right?" mom asked worriedly.

"And that's the end of the virus," Gary said. "Pikachu will just have to rest here tonight under the aid of the electricity, which means we'll be draining a lot of energy from Lt. Surge's Pokémon."

"He said that his Pokémon could take on the electricity for six hours or so," I said.

"That's good," Gary said. "The blackout is only four hours – and there's still good chance that Pikachu can recover."

"That's a relief," mom said thankfully.

I looked at Pikachu – it seemed to be sleeping inside the capsule. I smiled for having gotten here immediately. If it weren't for the answer that came inside my head and Lt. Surge's assistance, I wouldn't want to think of the dreadful consequences. But now that the trouble was over, maybe I could breathe again freely for the first time. I went back to the main hall and reclined on the sofa. I got my bag and checked the Pokétch – it was already 8:42 PM. Without realizing it, I just slept.

* * *

**PART 3 – OF PROMISES AND GOODBYES**

"Ash," I could hear someone whisper in my ear, "wake up!"

My eyes snapped open immediately – probably because I remembered the scenes that happened the previous night. Last night was a night full of intensity and suspense, and today might just be the denouement of last night. Light was streaming through the windows of Professor Oak's laboratory – sunlight… daytime. Just opposite me on the other couch was Lt. Surge. He was sleeping on the couch with his military cap over his face.

I sat up on the couch I had been sleeping on… I searched around for my cap, found it on the table in front of me, and wore my cap sideways. Mom was behind me, and she was the one who whispered on my ear.

"Good morning, Ash," mom greeted me with a light tone.

"Good morning, mom," I greeted mom back… "how did the operation go?"

"Look into the workroom and you'll find out," mom said.

I stood up and went to the workroom. The lights in the workroom were dim… but the room overall was still visible. Nobody was inside – except for Pikachu, who was sleeping peacefully in a comfortable looking bed at the end of the workroom. Pikachu's condition was fine – it was back to normal.

"The operation was successful," said a tired voice behind me. I turned around and saw Gary. "We were able to disarm and remove the virus. Pikachu will be fine."

I looked at him and said, "Thanks, Gary."

"We have Professor Oak to thank," Gary replied, "he prepared all the necessary materials and procedures." Gary looked at Pikachu and continued, "And to think that Pikachu was the Pokémon of my greatest rival some years ago…"

"Yeah…"

When Pikachu woke up and we reunited – at a more cheerful pace, we bade goodbye to Gary and had him thank Professor Oak for us. Lt. Surge was already awake at that time, but he left rather quickly (but mom and I did say thanks for his assistance to provide back-up power). In the house, I had a check-up with my other Pokémon using the modified machine like the ones Nurse Joy uses in the Pokémon Center to heal Pokémon. Every Pokémon in my roster had been infected with the Pokémon Virus.

But I recalled Professor Oak's words, "_It spreads – which means that the Pokémon Pikachu has touched or battled against will also be infected with the virus, but the damage dealt by the infected virus is only on a smaller scale._" After a final check-up, I was extremely pleased to hear that the minor viruses had completely left their host. All my Pokémon were all safe.

"So what are your plans for today, Ash," mom asked me.

"I promised the other guys that I would head back to Cerulean City," I told mom.

"Oh," mom said, "and when will you be back?"

"In a few weeks… months maybe," I said to her.

Mom giggled… "Youths these days…"

Pikachu and I left home by early afternoon. I took out Staraptor from its Pokéball. Staraptor seemed refreshed after the last battle it had just a few days ago.

"Ready for another long trip," I asked Staraptor. "Don't worry – it's just from here to Cerulean." I figured it since I wouldn't make it to Cerulean before nighttime. Staraptor nodded and raised its wings.

"Thanks pal," I said.

Pikachu and I boarded on Staraptor – and we took off.

_How long has it been since I really felt the wind fly on my face? Could it be that this wind is greeting me with a smile on its face – or is it greeting me with some hope ahead? Another journey is ahead of me…

* * *

_

The sun was just setting when the three of us arrived in Cerulean City. I had Staraptor fly us to the Pokémon Center, where I would arrange my new roster and give them a good freshen-up. From the Pokémon Center, I would take the ten-minute walk through the city to the Cerulean Gym, where some hopeful people were waiting.

I put Staraptor back in its Pokéball, entered the Pokémon Center, and approached Nurse Joy.

"Good afternoon and welcome to the Cerulean City Pokémon Center," she greeted me.

"Good afternoon, Nurse Joy," I greeted her back. I placed five Pokéballs in the container prepared for any Pokémon trainer who wanted to heal their roster. "My Pikachu here is fine… it doesn't need healing." And I made an additional request, "Could you check the conditions of my Pokémon also?"

"Okay," Nurse Joy answered, "please wait while I restore your Pokémon to full health."

The healing process usually takes less than a minute. But since I had an additional request on checking the conditions of my Pokémon roster, the entire process would take at least four or five minutes. And when the whole process was done, Nurse Joy returned my five Pokéballs and said to me, "Your Pokémon are fine – no abnormal conditions are reported whatsoever."

"Thanks," I thanked her. I stuck the five Pokéballs back to the belt.

"Thank you for coming," Nurse Joy bade me and Pikachu goodbye. "We hope to see you soon."

Pikachu and I left the Pokémon Center and started heading towards the Cerulean City gym. On the way, we had a little snack in one of the fastfood chains settled along the main highway. And when we finished the snack, we continued our way to the Cerulean City gym.

We arrived at the Cerulean City gym minutes later. The outside still seemed the same when I entered it for the first time since coming back from the Sinnoh region (Chapter 1). Pikachu and I stepped into the reception hall… Brock, Tracey, and Dawn were all there.

"Ash," Tracey called. Brock and Dawn turned around.

"Hey guys," I called back. Pikachu also called back and waved a hand. Brock and Dawn stood up and went over to me and Pikachu.

"You have some questions to answer," Dawn started tauntingly, "and you better answer them. Why did you leave so suddenly?"

I realized that I forgot to tell them everything.

…

Brock, Tracey, Dawn, Pikachu, and I settled ourselves in the reception lounge so that I could discuss with them my abrupt leave the previous day. I told them the events that occurred when I went to the Pokémon Center to find out once-and-for-all where Pikachu's colored lightning came from. Every now and then, they would interrupt my testimony to clarify a few things… but at least they didn't make me steer away from the subject. Then I told them what happened during the operation – the preparation stage, the blackout, and the sudden solution. My testimony ended when I mentioned the results of the operation.

"So that's what happened," Brock said, "no matter that mystery almost got us by cloaking the real truth. So what will happen to Pikachu?"

"I guess Pikachu won't be using those colored electric attacks anymore," I said. Even though those colored electric attacks looked very impressive, I guess it would be best if they were gone – Pikachu was already feeling very fine. "But I tried making Pikachu use the Volt Barrage attack – and it's still there. Good thing it's just – a move… Volt Barrage is just a move."

"A move that you named," Brock said.

"A move that I just named," I repeated.

"That's good to hear," Dawn said as she stood up and stretched her arms upward. Having breathed again from testifying my sudden leave, I noticed something missing.

"Where's Lucy and Misty?" I asked.

"Oh, Lucy and Misty are in the arena," Brock answered. "They're challenging each other in a one-on-one match." Then he leaned closer and said to me in a low voice. "No wonder Lucy's so restless – she's probably looking for revenge from that draw earlier." (Chapter 20)

I sweated, "Probably."

Misty's and Lucy's match ended in a draw: Misty had her Kingdra use Ice Beam, while Lucy had her Milotic use Hydro Pump. The two attacks met in mid-air and fused together then simply rebounded on each other. The "split-power" phenomenon had gotten the better of them… and both Pokémon were wiped out.

Misty's remark: "It was just like a gym battle… a test of endurance and strength to keep your cool while focusing on the match."

Lucy's remark: "If only it were a gym battle, I would've focused more and put all my attacks into effect."

The next day, Brock and Lucy bade all of us goodbye – they were going back to Pewter City. It would be Brock's first time to come back home since a few months (that is, if we assumed that Brock didn't return home since meeting Lucy) after meeting his ex-girlfriend here in Cerulean City (Chapter 8). But things were already turning out for the best… and it was all that mattered. Dawn also decided to leave suddenly, but I had to admit that it made me a bit worried.

"Misty, thank you so much for the company," Dawn said to her.

"It has been a pleasure," Misty responded.

I had been expecting some sort of rivalry between Dawn and Misty because of me. But somehow, because of Brock and Lucy and Tracey, Misty and Dawn got along well. Now the whole clique was complete… the clique of people and their Pokémon.

I took this chance to talk to Dawn… hopefully without Misty's watchful eye.

"You're leaving so soon," I said to her, "why?"

"To be on the safe side," Dawn said nervously, "I don't want to upset mom about being unheard of for more than two months… so I just have to return home."

And while talking to Dawn… I suddenly had de-ja-vu. A month ago when I was about to leave for the Hoenn region to catch pursuit of May, it was Dawn that was worried about me leaving the place. And this time, it was the other way around.

"When will you be back?" I asked.

"Soon," Dawn answered lowly.

We stayed silent for a while as we tried to find anything that could at least ease ourselves.

"Ash," Dawn started.

"What is it," I said to her.

"Umm… thanks for the company," Dawn said. "The past months were great… spending these times with you guys… and all what I really want to say is that… I won't ever forget you guys."

"_After all,_" I said to myself, "_they're hard to forget._"

I stepped forward towards Dawn and locked her in a tight embrace. Dawn returned it – and we found ourselves in the same position as what happened when we met in the Kanto region for the first time. Every memory from that event came back... shooting stars, a horde of angry Pokémon, and a trial against a friend. Every small little thing mattered.

After what seemed to be almost two minutes, Dawn and I released each other. And with one final goodbye, she left Cerulean gym and went on the way back to her home in the Sinnoh region. I was left standing in front of the Cerulean City gym building while I stared at the path Dawn had walked down. It was like watching someone leave as if that someone would never come back to his/her life. But I felt confident enough that Dawn would come back someday. Soon, Dawn said… but how soon is soon…? I guess it was one of the many mysteries that surrounded a Pokémon trainer like me. And if ever Dawn came back… I wondered how much things would've changed overtime, if Dawn would still remember the good times while I was training in the Sinnoh region… or if new influences would come into either of us that might ultimately lose our consciousness of relieving those memories.

On the other hand, I never forgot about May and Max. To this day, I never figured out the real reason why I chased May with Max across the sea to another region. Was it because May wanted me to keep her company in the depth of grief from the sufferings that her family bore? Or was it the urge that she wanted to do something – and only to do it following the sorrow that had been looming over them? May was emotionally strong, having built her emotions and learned to control them while traveling in the Hoenn region. I was confident she would be able to learn that her father went to a better place… where no problems would rise even in the simplest means. But now I was worried about their Pokémon. Had they learned about the Pokémon Virus that Max's Sneasel and my Pikachu had contained and passed on to their roster? I just hope they did… probably from Professor Birch or Professor Oak. May was a sweet girl, I admitted, and she's a very charming person who can handle her emotions. Problem is: May's impatient when she is… and she wastes time most of the time… leaving her somewhere in the maze.

Misty, my first female companion in my quest to become a Pokémon master, was the oldest female friend I had. I learned about controlling my emotions from her… being a few years older than me and a bit more psychologically mature. And besides her, I gained the needed motivation from Misty and Brock so that I can "charge up" the needed energy for me and my Pokémon to keep fighting. She made me realize what love is and how it worked… but it was a little too late for Misty to make me think about it.

But I'm seventeen… and I'm still growing up – physically, emotionally, etc. And my Pokémon are also growing up with me… even Pikachu, who had been with me every step of the way, and my few other buddies somewhere in the world would be greatly pleased that I took care of them. And wherever they were… I knew that the air would connect all of us.

WHAT AWAITS AHEAD FOR ASH?

* * *

Next chapter on Winner Takes Ash: A Secret of Two Trainers Unveiled

"Please help," the girl pleaded once she saw me. "My Squirtle and I were just attacked by some thugs and they wiped it out." I looked at the girl's Squirtle and found that it needed more than just Nurse Joy's services.

"Who are you," I asked the girl.

"It doesn't matter," she snapped, "what matters is that I get Squirtle immediately to the Pokémon Center."

We looked at each other for a moment – and something inside me just happened to leap up. Those eyes looked strangely familiar and the way she looked at me – it reminded me of someone I met long ago. It was very strange indeed – could it be…?

**To be continued…

* * *

**

**Existing chapters:**

**Prologue – The Pokemon Masters**

**Chapter 1 – Face-Off**

**Chapter 2 – Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3 – Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4 – Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

**Chapter 5 – Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience**

**Chapter 6 – Forest and Poisons**

**Chapter 7 – It's A Whole New Gym Leader**

**Chapter 8 – Brock's Flashback**

**Chapter 9 – Pains of the Past**

**Chapter 10 – Petalburg Pursuit – To the Maximum!**

**Chapter 11 – Bringing Back the Young Days**

**Chapter 12 – A Little Taste of Darkness**

**Chapter 13 – Nightmares**

**Chapter 14 – A Night in the Meadows**

**Chapter 15 – The Amazing Transformation**

**Chapter 16 – Tidal Terror**

**Chapter 17 – Lost From the Tree**

**Chapter 18 – Love Fever – Stricken!**

**Chapter 19 – Three-Way Hostility**

**Chapter 20 – Detection of Infection – A Virus Like No Other!

* * *

**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Whoa! That was the longest chapter I ever wrote… It's just plain suspense (and a little dose of romance near the end of the chapter) – and at least the mystery of the colored electric attacks is solved. Anyway, the names of the vaccines were just made up and had nothing to do with any medicine… it just seemed a little amusing for me to make up those names . Don't forget to vote on the poll found in my profile… again I'll remind you that the deadline is by the end of this month.

And who is this girl in the next chapter? Is she someone Ash knew from before, or is it a new person? And will she be the one for Ash? Find out by reading the next chapter of Winner Takes Ash: A Secret of Two Trainers Unveiled. And what is this secret anyway?

**The author does not own Pokémon, Nintendo, or GameFreak. The author owns Winner Takes Ash, Pokémon Pearl, and Pokémon Diamond.**

**PowerZone**


	23. Ch21: Secret Unveiled

**CHAPTER 21: A SECRET OF TWO TRAINERS UNVEILED**

Born from one realm, ended in two different dimensions, and ending up in a coincidence is what brings the essence of true friendship...

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 17) "I don't believe it," I whispered.

"Why did you only have to show it to Ash now," Misty asked.

"I feared a lot of things back then," mom answered. "Whenever Ash goes out to a journey, it makes me worry. I only hoped that Ash would not end up the same thing as his father. And until now, we still haven't heard of him."

(Chapter 14) "Going already, Ash," she said.

I looked at her and said, "Yes, ma'am. Thanks for everything. It's been a pleasure to be your guest. Condolences from the Ketchum family."

"Thank you very much, Ash," Caroline said.

* * *

**Welcome to the third saga of Winner Takes Ash!**

Three months had passed since Dawn left Cerulean City to return to the Hoenn region and Brock and Lucy found each other and spent the time to know each other more. Misty was still training – everyday was nothing but train, feed her Pokémon, eat, and sleep. Tracey went back to the Orange Archipelago to his home. As for me… well… I'm in my home and I'm watching a television program of the Hoenn Conference League. It was boring as hell… for there was nothing else to do, and nowhere else to go.

The previous month, I was summoned to Indigo Plateau for a meeting with the Pokémon Trainers Elite Council with all of the elite leaders of the region. Lance explained that by Agatha's leave, after Giovanni unintentionally gave up his "gym duties," there was an empty spot for one more elite leader. It also said that I'd be willing to use any of my Pokémon to build my elite roster. And during the moment of decision, I said that I refused the offer, seeing that there are still more things to discover – and for many other reasons. The meeting ended shortly after that and mom and I went back home.

One night, I was in my bedroom watching a television program about some Pokémon.

"Ash," mom said the moment she stepped inside my bedroom, "don't you have anything fun to do?"

"Unfortunately no," I answered sleepily. After answering mom, I switched off the television set and lay back on my bed. "There's nothing else for me to do… no new region… no new adventure." And not to mention that Pikachu was having a lot of fun being bored as well – ironically.

"Oh well," mom said, "suit yourself." She left the room after that.

I turned to the side where Pikachu was just sitting down on the chair like a bedside dummy. "What should we do now, Pikachu?" I asked my buddy.

Pikachu looked at me for one second then went down from the chair. Pikachu leapt onto the bed and lay down. "I guess that's a simple solution for beating boredom," I agreed. I turned to look at the ceiling while lying down on my bed.

RING – RING – RING…

That ringing sound came from the Pokégear. I quickly sat up and got it from the bedside chair where Pikachu had been sitting on earlier. I looked on the screen and found Mity's number. I pressed the answer button.

"Uh, hello?"

"Hello, Ash," came Misty's voice at the other side of the line. "I'm glad you've kept in touch."

"Yeah, I did," I answered – now feeling quite a bit foolish – "and why did you call me?"

"You should turn on the television to the Pokémon News Center program," Misty answered. I followed Misty's suggestion and turned on the television. I went down a few channels until it arrived at where the Pokémon News Center program was. "You see that," Misty said. It seemed that she was also watching the news program.

I watched the news report closely and said, "It's just a Pokémon Contest… nothing's special or whatsoever."

"Listen closely," Misty said.

I took the Pokégear off my ear and listened to the news report: "_The semi-annual Aqua-palooza Water Pokémon Contest will take place in a few months time in Cerulean City._" Wh-What!?! Cerulean City! "_Water Pokémon trainers, amateurs or veterans, are allowed to join in this prestigious contest._"

"You see," Misty said once I put the Pokégear back to my ear, "they're hosting the most prestigious water Pokémon Contest right here in Cerulean City!"

"No kidding," I said excitedly, "when are they hosting it?"

"The news said that it would take place in a few months," Misty answered from the other side of the line, "posters are already swarming all over the city with the coming of the Aqua-palooza Water Pokémon Contest."

Come to think of it… I do remember something about Misty mentioning the Aqua-palooza Pokémon Contest just a few months ago… it was when I was hospitalized after nearly drowning in the sea because of attempting to rescue Pikachu (Chapter 16). The contest was to be held in Goldenrod City, but it was moved to Olivine City because of the tidal wave. And now, the contest would come to Cerulean City.

"That's great news," I said joyfully, "so even I could participate?"

"The news said water Pokémon trainers, amateurs or veterans, are allowed to join," Misty explained over the line. "This means, you must at least have a water-type Pokémon to join the contest."

"Is it open participation," I asked further.

"Hmm," Misty said, "because I'm the gym leader of Cerulean City, it makes me one of the Contest Coordinators. We held a meeting just a few days ago and agreed that the registration would open in three days." She paused for a while and continued, "The contest is open to five hundred approved registrants."

"Oh okay," I said.

"Anyway," Misty said, "if you want the full guidelines of the contest, you can come to Cerulean City to register."

"Okay," I responded, "thanks for the info." And with that, we ended the transmission.

To think that such a day would come… where many people would gather under one roof to witness the marvel of talents displayed between people and Pokémon. I never thought a Pokémon Contest would become this grand and prestigious. I switched off the television and put the remote and my Pokégear on the chair beside my bed.

"A Pokémon Contest," I told Pikachu the news, "that's open to all water Pokémon. Too bad, you couldn't show off your Volt Barrage move." I patted Pikachu on the head and said, "But I guess it's natural." I recalled my water Pokémon roster: Squirtle, now a Wartortle and training with the Squirtle Firefighting Squad, Totodile, Corphish, and Floatzel – all in Professor Oak's laboratory (By the way, only Pikachu was with me). I imagined the scene: a trainer standing on stage in front of over two thousand people… oh man, I can't wait to see the whole thrill.

"What do you say," I said to Pikachu, "should we enter?"

"_Pika-pika pi!_" Pikachu raised a fist in the air that signified something like, "Go for it!"

* * *

I told mom about the Aqua-palooza Water Pokémon Contest the following morning over breakfast (with Mimee and Wobbie). Mom seemed interested about the Pokémon Contest – evident because she was always asking questions about the contest. And so…

"Can I enter it?" I asked mom. "It'll be held in Cerulean City. Registration is open in three days and the first five hundred capable trainers will be allowed to enter."

"Let me ask you, dear," mom said. "Are you capable?"

I stood up from my chair and answered straightforwardly, "I'm capable of anything… I've been in Pokémon Contests before… and coordinators and trainers are similar in almost any way."

Mom took that into thinking and said, "You are the Sinnoh Conference League champion… if it's what you want, then go for it!" She smiled – which could only mean one thing.

"Thanks mom," I said joyfully and ran over to her to hug and kiss mom on the cheek. "I love you."

Mom laughed and said, "Okay, dear. Now finish your breakfast so you can start training."

* * *

"Floatzel," I called Floatzel out from its Pokéball when I arrived home after getting Floatzel and Corphish in Professor Oak's laboratory, "let's do some training!" The sea weasel made a rather frivolous entrance after coming out from its Pokéball – like how Pokémon do in contests.

"You're going to enter into a very prestigious Pokémon Contest in a few months time," I told Floatzel. "This contest is open to all water Pokémon…" Upon hearing the sound 'water,' Floatzel suddenly got giddy and started running around my legs. "And I'm entering you in that contest. That's why we'll start training."

"Zel!"

"Okay," I said, "let's use your Aqua Jet!"

I tried to find a good combination move for Floatzel after overlooking its attributes and its advantages. Floatzel was a pure water-type Pokémon advantageous in speed and special attack. But I also knew that Floatzel had the least stamina among my other Sinnoh roster so I had to keep the combination fabulous but simple. But Floatzel won't be my only Pokémon that will be participating in the Aqua-palooza Water Contest. Maybe I'll have Officer Jenny deliver my Wartortle as soon as possible.

Overall, Floatzel's moves were still in good shape: Aqua Jet, Bubblebeam, Iron Tail, Façade, and many other moves. Perhaps I could find some props for Floatzel's combination… but I had to leave the plan aside for now.

"You're on Corphish," I called Corphish out from its Pokéball. Corphish came out from its Pokéball and landed beside Floatzel. "Corphish, I'm also entering you in a Pokémon Contest with Floatzel." Corphish waved its pincers and stood ready.

"Cor-phish-phish!"

I nodded and called out, "Use Crabhammer on that apple tree!"

Also with Floatzel, I tried to find any good combination moves for Corphish after overlooking its attributes, moves, and advantages. Corphish was a pure water-type Pokémon advantageous in defense and attack power. Corphish was sometimes a stubborn Pokémon, but I knew that it also had the most hopes of winning and would do anything to make me and my other Pokémon proud.

Corphish's moves were also good: Crabhammer, Bubblebeam, Iron Defense, Double Edge, Hyper Beam, and many other moves. As for Corphish, maybe it would need a little more shaping up before I could find any good combinations. And before the contest proper, I hoped that it would evolve into Crawdawnt.

"Let's call it a day," I said to the both of them.

"Cor-phish!"

"Zel-zel!"

I returned the both of them to their Pokéballs and watched the sun set down beyond the horizon. It was getting late so I had to head back home.

* * *

The next day, I set out for Cerulean City with four of my Pokémon: Pikachu, Floatzel, Numel, and Staraptor. I intended to train Numel on the way so I chose an empty spot somewhere outside Viridian City. I had Numel practice its fire and ground attacks and they were pretty impressive. Numel was also swift on its feet – an unusual thing for most Numel since their speed was the most disadvantageous one. To test its endurance, I had Floatzel battle against Numel. It was a bit funny though – Numel was able to dodge most of Floatzel's attacks – Bubblebeam, Iron Tail, etc. But when it came to Aqua Jet, it became an entirely different story.

"Wh-What's going on," I said to myself.

Numel suddenly let out a small arc of fire overhead itself and waited for Floatzel to come near. When Floatzel was near enough – speedy because of the Aqua Jet, Numel suddenly let the arc fall over Floatzel. A small rain of fire went down on Floatzel, but Floatzel was quick to see this and it evaded the attack at the last second. I called the training off and went over to Numel and Floatzel.

"What was that," I asked Numel, baffled by what I had seen.

Pikachu and Floatzel seemed confused as well. I sat down on the ground and looked at Numel.

"Of all my years of training," I said to Numel, "I never saw a move like that – even from the Numel and Camerupt I've encountered on my travels." Things did change a lot since then… and one of the changes may have been the development of moves. "Numel," I said to it, "you've learned a move that maybe I or Brock don't even know… and I'll be glad to call it Arch Flare."

Arch Flare… yeah, it had a good ring to it. After all, it did resemble the arch of fire that Numel did earlier.

"Okay," I said to Pikachu, Floatzel, and Numel, "let's set out again for Cerulean!"

* * *

Much of Cerulean City had changed the past months… and I noticed that the Cerulean Stadium was undergoing many changes for the upcoming Aqua-palooza Water Pokémon Contest. Five gigantic pools were already set-up inside the dome – but they weren't filled yet. At the side of the Cerulean Stadium, three Pokémon Centers were built to accommodate enough facilities for the participating trainers. Besides the Cerulean Stadium rush, the hotels around the city were also in a rush… they were cleaning up and waiting for any reservations from trainers and the Contest Coordinators. In a few months, the Cerulean Stadium would be the attraction of the city.

A few trainers, mostly from the Kanto and Johto region, were already gathered in Cerulean City. They were waiting for the contest registration, which would still start in two days. For the time remainder, some of them decided to interact with each other and train in the park. Many of them had pretty impressive water Pokémon – I wished the trainers to myself the best of luck.

I walked my way through the city to the Cerulean gym. But when I arrived, only Daisy, one of Misty's sisters, was inside the gym and tending to Misty's Pokémon. She told me, "Misty's attending a conference with some Contest Coordinators from the Sinnoh Region. She'll be back this afternoon, so you better wait." Instead of waiting, I took the whole day to look around the city and check on what Pokémon the trainers in the park have. A few people did recognize me as the Sinnoh champion and some asked tips on how to win, what it takes to be an ultimate trainer, etc. I answered some of their questions politely. "Winning doesn't really matter… but if your heart burns like the sun itself, then you've got the taste of victory." "If you want to be ultimate, you have to know how it feels to lose. Only by losing can you realize your mistakes and try again until you find what you're looking for." I also said to them, "Pokémon Contests are just like Pokémon battles, as what a good friend told me (I was mentioning May). In contests, you rely on style. In battles, you rely on power. It's wise to use the both of them in a contest or a battle." "The perfect combination in a Pokémon Contest is the combination of loyalty of the Pokémon, the trust of the trainers, and the bond that the both of them share." It seemed a bit light-heartening to give a little lecture about bonding well with Pokémon to some trainers.

And that was when something happened. There was a small explosion on the other side of the park, followed by a high-pitched scream, and commotions from nearby trainers. I looked to see the problem. A girl was crying over a Squirtle, which was unconscious.

"Please help," the girl pleaded once she saw me. "My Squirtle suffered badly from that last explosion." I looked at the girl's Squirtle and found that it needed more than just Nurse Joy's services.

"Who are you," I asked the girl.

"It doesn't matter," she snapped, "what matters is that I get Squirtle immediately to the Pokémon Center."

We looked at each other for a moment – and something inside me just happened to leap up. Those eyes looked strangely familiar and the way she looked at me – it reminded me of someone I met long ago. It was very strange indeed – could it be…?

"Hey," someone said to my ear, "we should bring her Squirtle to the Pokémon Center."

Better than hanging around waiting for some answer on what to do with the girl's Squirtle, I decided to help the girl bring her Squirtle to the Pokémon Center. Inside the Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy tended to the girl's Squirtle. The Squirtle was badly injured – with a deep cut on its leg. It would need a few hours for her Squirtle to get better, so I took this time to talk to the girl. Looking at her for even a split-second, I could make out most of the physical features… and they were so similar to a person I've met.

"Hey," I said softly to her – she was grieving – "it's alright. Your Squirtle will be fine."

She told me what happened back in the park. She was battling one of the trainers in the park – and her opponent happened to battle with a Tentacool. The girl explained what happened during the battle and how the explosion came up. I felt sorry for the girl and her Squirtle and wished her Squirtle speedy recoveries.

"My name's Kelly," she said, "my first name's Kelly Claire, but my friends call me KC."

"Nice to meet you, KC," I said and we shook hands. "And yeah, you know my name already… it's all in the papers." KC giggled.

She was just my type of girl… my age, cute for my age, and a firm posture. She had long black hair tied to a pony-tail, soft black eyes, and a smile similar to that of a schoolchild. Her clothes didn't really make most of the fashion, since she said that she always changed clothes everyday. This girl seemed to be a combination of Dawn, May, and Misty – attitude from May, personality from Dawn, and zeal from Misty.

"You live around here?" I asked her.

"I was born in Pallet Town," KC answered, "but in an early age, I was taken to Cerulean City by my uncle. I only saw my mother once a year, since she lives there…" KC looked down and continued, "Only last week, I found out that I had a brother who was supposed to be out there. To this day, I never knew who he was."

"That's too bad," I said to her… but suddenly, something happened. I was recalling something… (Chapter 17)

"_Ash," Mom spoke and she looked at me seriously, "you have a sister. She's supposed to be the same age as you."_

"_But why haven't I seen my sister as far as I can remember," I started losing my temper._

"_You and your sister are twins," mom said. "The both of you were born on the same day – only you came ahead. A week later, my dad took her to my cousin, Craig. Craig lives in Cerulean City, and I haven't seen him since."_

Could this be a coincidence?

"When did you celebrate your last birthday," I asked her hesitantly.

"Just chill," she said kindly and she answered the question, "just a month ago actually. I'm already eighteen, if you want to ask my age."

"_NO WAY!_" I said to myself. I did celebrate my birthday last month, and I'm eighteen myself. "Tell me, do you have a father?"

"Why are you asking me this all of a sudden," KC asked curiously.

"I have a feeling that we're getting into something very interesting," I answered a bit impatiently, "just answer the question, please."

"Well," KC answered, "I never knew who my father was. I never saw him ever since I was born… and mom rarely told stories about my father."

"_This is turning out the way I recalled,_" I thought. And for the final question, "What's your mother's name, as you may have heard from your uncle?"

KC took a little while to think about it, "Well, I can't really recall her name, but I think it started with De… something."

"Delia?"

"Yes," she said suddenly, "Delia!" And then she looked at me quizzically and said, "Wait, how come you know my mother's name?"

I broke into a laugh that echoed around the Pokémon Center. And when I regained my composure, I said to her, "Your brother may be closer than you think, KC."

KC didn't seem to have an idea what I was talking about.

"All these years," I said to her, "your brother was undertaking a serious quest in pursuit of some mysteries. Unlike his father, who was never heard of in the Johto region, he came back safe and sound. He excelled his skills in Pokémon battles like his father, and he had this dream of becoming a Pokémon master." I looked away for a while and continued to explain, "Many mysteries that went around his family kept on lingering on the air… until today. That was when one of the mysteries was grabbed down and solved."

"Do you know my brother," she asked me.

"Oh," I answered, feeling a bit confident now I knew who this girl really was, "I know everything about your brother, but you mustn't say that I'm a spy of all sorts."

"Then tell me," KC pleaded as she grabbed a hold of my collar, "where is he?"

I sighed and said, "Your brother… is here in the Pokémon Center… specifically, your brother is the person you're talking to."

There was silence for a moment – silence that surrounded the both of us. KC wouldn't seem to believe me if I told her the real truth. She would think of it as silly. She released my collar and looked down. "I don't believe you."

"You don't," I said, a bit surprised, "then think about the facts. Why did I know that the name of your mom was Delia? Simple, she's my mother as well."

KC looked up and made way to widened-eyes.

"N-No way," she started.

"And if that's not enough, it was mom's cousin, Craig, who took you shortly after you were born," I explained further. "You're living with him, along with my cousin named Tom, who challenged Misty to a gym battle a few months ago." I looked at KC again and said, "Is that proof enough?" I smiled and held out a hand. "My name is Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, and I am your brother – your twin brother."

"Ash…" KC was about to spurt tears from her eyes.

"Welcome home," I said.

KC and I swiftly moved to each other and embraced each other tightly. It had been eighteen years since I saw my sister… and only today, after a fateful event, did I get to see my sister again. We shed tears in each other's arms for some time before we released each other. "For the past months, I've been trying to find my sister, and only now did I find her here," I said to her. It was a teary reunion for me – brother and sister united. I didn't know how it came – but it… just came unexpectedly.

"Now that we're united," KC said, "let's say we get some lunch right after I have my Squirtle back?"

"Sure thing," I told her.

Her Squirtle recovered, and the cut on its leg was treated. KC brought her Squirtle back to its Pokéball, and we left the Pokémon Center and had lunch at a nearby restaurant.

After lunch, we went back to the park. A few trainers were in the park, and they were either training hard with their Pokémon or spending leisurely time with their Pokémon. KC and I settled in a bench under a cool shade of trees.

"I'm famished," she said.

"Me too," I told her.

"So you're planning to enter the Aqua-palooza Water Pokémon Contest?" I asked her.

"Yeah," she answered.

KC took out her badge case from her bag and showed it to me. There were twenty-three gleaming badges. I could recognize some from the Hoenn region. "You've been to the Hoenn region?" I asked her.

"Yeah," she answered. "I got all the eight badges there."

I noticed that there were only twenty-three badges – if KC had been to three regions, there would have been twenty-four. "What's the next gym you'll be battling," I said to her.

"Lavender Town," she answered.

"I thought Lavender Town didn't have a gym," I said slowly. "Well, that was back in my days."

"The gym leader of that town is a steel-type user named Ronan," KC explained, "he's a tough steel-type user… and he's the last step before I can participate in the Indigo League."

We fell silent for a while until KC noticed my Pikachu.

"Aww," she said endearingly, "your Pikachu's cute." KC looked at my Pikachu on my shoulder and ruffled its head. "I wish I had a Pikachu."

"Pikachu's been my buddy from the start," I told her. "It all started with a series of events that I can never forget…" I told her how Pikachu and I met, and the unfortunate events that resulted into a growing bond of me and my other Pokémon.

* * *

For the remainder of the afternoon, KC and I took this time to talk about what we did all these years. KC also heard of the Battle Frontier, but she said that she was too weak to participate. She was surprised to hear when I told her about my adventure through the Kanto region and mastering the Battle Frontier. KC had also been in some Pokémon Contests in the Hoenn region. She felt pleased with herself, and she won only one ribbon. It was better – I only won half-a-ribbon myself. We talked about practically anything – from Pokémon battles to Pokémon contests, from our adventures to our experiences, from the outmoded stuff to the latest trends, etc. It felt so good to be talking to a person who was more than just a friend… and all in one day.

"Ash," said a voice behind me, "what are you and KC doing?"

I turned around to see Misty standing behind the bench and looking down at the two of us.

"Hi Misty," I said, "it's nice to see you again."

"Hi Misty," KC greeted her, "it's good to see you."

"Hi again KC," Misty greeted KC, "how come you know Ash?"

I laughed softly for a moment and said, "We just met unintentionally today – and yeah, KC's my long lost sister."

Misty jolted lightly, "S-Sister?"

KC nodded and said, "Yup." Then she said to me, "How come you know Misty?"

"Well," I started explaining, "Misty's my first companion along with Brock while I was traveling through the Kanto and Johto region."

"Let's talk through everything in the gym, shall we," Misty suggested.

KC, Misty, and I, with Pikachu at my side, left the park and made our way to the Cerulean Gym, where we would chat about the whole matter.

Until today, many family secrets were sealed… But luck guided me and I was able to stumble upon one of the most coincidental people, who happened to be my sister. Perhaps mom was right – she was telling the truth about the family matter. After all these months that I had doubted of having a sister, I finally got to see her again. The secret was finally revealed… and it was up to me to tell the real truth to mom when I get back to Pallet Town. But for now, I should focus on the upcoming Aqua-palooza Water Pokémon Contest, which would take place in a few months.

WHAT IS THIS POKÉMON CONTEST ALL ABOUT?

* * *

Next chapter on Winner Takes Ash: Contest Preparations

"Ladies and gentlemen, in a few days time, the prestigious Aqua-palooza Water Pokémon Contest will begin," blared the megaphone. "I hope all the participants gathered throughout the city are ready to partake in the semi-annual event." From where Dawn and I stood, we could hear some cheers from some trainers gathered nearby. "Remember to give out your best shot in the contest – because this is no ordinary contest – this is the Aqua-palooza Water Pokémon Contest! Registration will only be up to five in the afternoon today, so get your feet working quickly."

...

"Are you nervous?" I asked Dawn.

"Even as a coordinator," she answered honestly, "I can't help but be nervous about tomorrow. I mean, it's not the ordinary Pokémon Contest that I've been in. This is a prestigious contest – where the whole world is watching us perform!"

Dawn seemed to make matters worse – now that I didn't feel confident, I just knew that tomorrow was going to be a long, long day.

"The whole world, huh?"

If the whole world would be watching every single participant perform their style, I didn't want to think what they would feel if I were the one participating. Oh boy, I did feel nervous.

**To be continued… **

* * *

**Existing chapters:**

**Prologue – The Pokemon Masters**

**Chapter 1 – Face-Off**

**Chapter 2 – Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3 – Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4 – Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

**Chapter 5 – Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience**

**Chapter 6 – Forest and Poisons**

**Chapter 7 – It's A Whole New Gym Leader**

**Chapter 8 – Brock's Flashback**

**Chapter 9 – Pains of the Past**

**Chapter 10 – Petalburg Pursuit – To the Maximum!**

**Chapter 11 – Bringing Back the Young Days**

**Chapter 12 – A Little Taste of Darkness**

**Chapter 13 – Nightmares**

**Chapter 14 – A Night in the Meadows**

**Chapter 15 – The Amazing Transformation**

**Chapter 16 – Tidal Terror**

**Chapter 17 – Lost From the Tree**

**Chapter 18 – Love Fever – Stricken!**

**Chapter 19 – Three-Way Hostility**

**Chapter 20 – Detection of Infection – A Virus Like No Other!**

**Chapter 21 – A Secret of Two Trainers Unveiled**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Wow… so that girl is actually Ash's sister! Major spoiler here actually… so that I won't confuse you guys. Special mention to Midnightmoon602 because she got her guess correctly… go girl!

**The author does not own Pokémon, Nintendo, or GameFreak. The author owns Winner Takes Ash, Pokémon Pearl, and Pokémon Diamond.**

**PowerZone **


	24. Ch22: Contest Preparations

**CHAPTER 22: CONTEST PREPARATIONS**

There is nothing more than accepting the fact that we are real…

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 9) "Come on, Lucy," Brock said as he helped Lucy up, "I thought you would remember a little bit."

Lucy glared at Brock and said, "Refresh me."

Brock tried to recall anything that happened in any incident that involved Brock and Lucy. "Oh, do you remember Ash."

"Oh, him," Lucy said as she tried to recall a certain something, "Ash… he's the Champion – is he not?" Her glare suddenly turned into wonder, "Ash, Ash," Lucy mumbled and then her eyes widened and she let out a gasp, "It really is you! You're – you're his companion!"

(Chapter 21) "When did you celebrate your last birthday," I asked her hesitantly.

"Just chill," she said kindly and she answered the question, "just a month ago actually. I'm already eighteen, if you want to ask my age."

"_NO WAY!_" I said to myself. I did celebrate my birthday last month, and I'm eighteen myself. "Tell me, do you have a father?"

"Why are you asking me this all of a sudden," KC asked curiously.

"I have a feeling that we're getting into something very interesting," I answered a bit impatiently, "just answer the question, please."

* * *

**STORY PROPER:**

"Bring it on," I called as I took out my Pokéball to battle against KC's Squirtle. "Let's do it, Numel!"

When Numel appeared in the battlefield, Tracey, who was with Misty in the sidelines, began doubting. "Numel's a fire and ground type – any water attacks done to it will deal four times more the original damage." Sure, I was aware – but attributes won't be a key factor in battle alone.

"Start off with Hydro Pump!" KC called. At once, Squirtle quickly withdrew in its shell then spurted a strong blast of water towards Numel. Numel saw this one coming and swiftly avoided the attack. "Whoa, that's fast," KC said.

"Take Down!"

Numel leapt up in the air and slammed Squirtle down to the ground.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Tracey said, not believing what he was witnessing. "Ash's Numel is swift – when most Numel are very sluggish."

"You can't believe in the facts forever," Misty told Tracey.

"Don't give up now," KC called and Squirtle got up. "Let's use Skull Bash!"

"Flamethrower!"

Squirtle charged head-first toward Numel, while Numel shot a stream of fire. The stream of fire hit the incoming Squirtle, but it did not stop. The Skull Bash found its mark – and the Flamethrower gave another effect.

"Squirtle's burned," I muttered to myself. "KC will force Squirtle to use its special attacks – but I just have the right plan."

"That burn's nothing," KC told me. Then she said to her Squirtle, "Squirtle, show that Numel a little taste of our water power!" Squirtle nodded and withdrew once more in its shell – another Hydro Pump attack.

"Sunny Day, quickly!"

Numel started glowing all over and magnified the sun's brightness. Soon, the battlefield was shining brightly. The Hydro Pump also found its mark.

"We won!" KC called victoriously.

"You think so?"

Even with the Hydro Pump, Numel was still standing – as if it had been dealt with no damage at all. This startled KC.

"Sunny Day reduces the power of water attacks by half," Misty explained. "The Hydro Pump's power was halved – and also… KC's Squirtle might have been using its weaker state because of the burn."

"Numel, Fire Blast!"

Numel blasted a five-pointed flaming star towards Squirtle.

"Withdraw, quickly!"

The Fire Blast did hit Squirtle's shell – but it did not mean that Squirtle was safe. After all, the effect of the sun magnified the power of the Fire Blast attack.

"Take Down!"

Squirtle popped out from its shell just in time to see Numel charge towards it.

"Skull Bash!"

The two Pokémon hit each other head-on. It took a little while for the both of them to recover from the impact.

"Such a strong Pokémon," Tracey muttered. "I've never seen a Numel stand for this long against a water-type Pokémon. Surely, it must've been trained very well."

"Ash just got that Numel a few days ago," Misty said.

"Wh-Whoa!"

Back in the battle… "Flamethrower, Numel!"

"Squirtle, dodge it and use Aqua Tail!"

Squirtle dodged the flamethrower and struck Numel with the power of its liquefied tail. The attack weakened Numel, but since Sunny Day was still in effect, the power of the Aqua Tail had been reduced.

"Fire Blast!"

"Hydro Pump!"

The fire and water met each other in the center of the battlefield and created a haze that shrouded the both of them. The haze cleared quickly, thanks to the power of the sun. Squirtle was gradually weakening by the burn's effect, while Numel had been exerting too much effort in its fire moves.

"Take Down!"

Numel charged head-on towards Squirtle.

"Hydro Pump at full-blast!"

When Numel was close enough, Squirtle blasted a strong jet of water that hit Numel squarely on its head. But being hardy as it was, Numel endured the hit and managed to bring Squirtle down with its Take Down attack. Neither Pokémon could handle any longer – both of them collapsed. At the same time, the Sunny Day wore off.

KC sighed. "At least we did our best," she said and returned her Squirtle to its Pokéball.

I could feel, in the most, disappointed. "You stood out long enough against a water-type." I returned Numel to its Pokéball as well.

At least Numel stood long enough against Squirtle. I evaluated to myself about that match and found it quite thrilling. Even that evening, KC herself couldn't believe how Numel could stand up against the Hydro Pump. I just persuaded her that it was a lucky break because her Squirtle got burned in battle. If it were a really thrilling battle, the two Pokémon could've lasted longer. But I didn't feel disappointed when night fell. All what I had to focus on was the upcoming water Pokémon contest.

* * *

Three days before the start of the contest – not to mention the tedious registration and the press conference that I had to attend, aired nationwide (unfortunately) – Dawn and I decided to train in the Cerulean gym. That morning, I received a package from Professor Oak. When I opened the package, I found a Pokéball and a note handwritten by the professor himself. The note read, "_Dear Ash, while stumbling throughout the island, this Pokémon came up to me and wanted to see you. I couldn't say no to the little guy so I put it in this spare Pokéball I had. Anyway, you should be familiar with this one since the water Pokémon contest, I hear, will be in a few days time. Best wishes, Professor Oak._"

I hesitated for a while and looked at the Pokéball. When I picked it up, I felt some sort of chill that tingled my hand. What Pokémon would want to see at a time like this? I could find out once Dawn and I would get to the gym.

However, on our way to the gym, we were stopped when a nearby megaphone blared across the city.

"Ladies and gentlemen, in a few days time, the prestigious Aqua-palooza Water Pokémon Contest will begin," blared the megaphone. "I hope all the participants gathered throughout the city are ready to partake in the semi-annual event." From where Dawn and I stood, we could hear some cheers from some trainers gathered nearby. "Remember to give out your best shot in the contest – because this is no ordinary contest – this is the Aqua-palooza Water Pokémon Contest! Registration will only be up to five in the afternoon today, so get your feet working quickly!

"Just to give you some sneak peeks of the contest – there will be two rounds: the Appeal Round and the Contest Battles," continued the announcer. "In the Appeal Round, contestants and their Pokémon will have to bring in their skill, style, and wit to produce outstanding combinations for the crowd to awe. Those contestants with a score of eighty and above will proceed to the next round. In the Contest Battles, trainers will be electronically picked whether they go for a one-on-one, a two-on-two, or a one-on-one-on-one."

Beside me, Dawn seemed to wonder, "A one-on-one-on-one?"

"A triple-threat match," I explained. "Three trainers will pit their Pokémon in the battlefield and three Pokémon will fight. Only one stands in the end, of course."

"The Appeal Round will take place in the Cerulean Arena, Main Building," the announcer continued. "Each participant will be given three minutes for their Pokémon to bring out all their creativity. Contest battles will also be electronically random – whether the time limit is five minutes, ten minutes, twenty minutes, or infinite. Participants will fill their way to the top of the chart until the final battle decides the champion of the contest."

"I like the sound of that," Dawn said.

"The champion will receive the Aqua Ribbon, worth immediate access to the Grand Festival, regardless of how many contest ribbons are won," the announcer continued. "The champion and the top ten trainers will be given trophies, certificates, and cash prizes." The announcer paused for a while then said, "So whether you'll go for the gold, shape up your contest skills, or just want to have fun, come now and join the Aqua-palooza Water Pokémon Contest, where a shower of fun, surprises, and thrills await for all of you!"

Dawn and I just stood there, marveled by what we just heard. Maybe that Aqua Ribbon was not important to me – maybe I just wanted… to have fun.

"So what's in the Pokéball Professor Oak gave you?" Dawn asked when we got to the pool. I almost forgot about the Pokéball because of the announcement. But I took it out from my best and threw it at the pool. The Pokéball popped open and a Pokémon landed on the water with a large splash.

"Lapras!"

Lapras, one of my Pokémon I had when I traveled with Misty and Tracey around the Orange Archipelago, was there in front of me. It had grown quite a lot – it was almost twice my height. It still recognized me.

"How are you doing?" I asked it. The Lapras cried in joy.

"So that's your Lapras," Dawn said impressively. "I gotta admit – it's pretty impressive for you to be in possession of such a rare Pokémon."

While training in the gym, I checked out Lapras set of moves so I had it pit against my Floatzel. Lapras's set of moves included the following: Ice Beam, Mist, Double-Edge, Brine, Protect, and Body Slam. The moves were impressive and Lapras even pulled a self-win against Floatzel. I figured that Lapras will come handy in the Contest Battles.

When Dawn and I came out of the arena, we spotted a Wartortle hanging around in the reception counter. Brock was also tending to the Wartortle – then he spotted me.

"Oh Ash," he said, "this Wartortle's been looking for you."

"Wartortle?" I wondered. I looked down at Wartortle, who seemed to give me a hopeful smile. I gazed onto it for a moment – and then something just clicked on my mind. I remember having a conversation with Professor Oak a long while ago and he told me that my Squirtle evolved. So maybe… "Squirtle?"

As proof enough, Wartortle pulled out a pair of sunglasses from its shell and wore it. The Wartortle before me was indeed my old buddy.

"Still leading the Squirtle squad, eh?" was the first question I asked Wartortle, in which it replied with an approving nod. Why Wartortle came to Cerulean City alone… I really don't know. But only did Brock's daydreaming make me jump to the conclusion that Officer Jenny must've arrived ago with the Squirtle Squad. Leaving Brock to his romantic trance, I decided to bring Wartortle to Misty's home for lunch and afterwards have it train back in the Cerulean gym arena.

The day before the start of the contest, Dawn brought me and Pikachu to the park. She wanted to have a little chat with me. I was supposed to be shaping up my contest skills, but I decided to skip the session. After all, it would be disastrous if one of my Pokémon got injured right before the start of the contest. I just needed some time and fresh air from the hectic training.

"Are you nervous?" I asked Dawn.

"Even as a coordinator," she answered honestly, "I can't help but be nervous about tomorrow. I mean, it's not the ordinary Pokémon Contest that I've been in. This is a prestigious contest – where the whole world is watching us perform!"

Dawn seemed to make matters worse – now that I didn't feel confident, I just knew that tomorrow was going to be a long, long day.

"The whole world, huh?"

If the whole world would be watching every single participant perform their style, I didn't want to think what they would feel if I were the one participating. Oh boy, I did feel nervous.

"Now what?" Dawn seemed to be bored.

If there was one way to put Dawn's adrenaline up, it would mean one thing. "Hey Dawn, let's say we battle here one-on-one." Sure enough, Dawn's eyes lit up.

"You're on!"

I settled in the other side of the park and prepared my Pokéball. Pikachu seemed hopeful for me to win.

"Hit the stage, Empoleon!"

"Break it away, Crawdawnt!"

The penguin and the ruffian faced each other on opposite sides of the battlefield. And when the first moves were called, the two of them charged at each other – with Empoleon's steel-hard wing and Crawdawnt's might pincer both raised to take on each other with a probable impact that would echo throughout the park.

* * *

That night, I couldn't sleep well – all because of the nervousness that sunk deep into my stomach. In a few hours, the contest would begin. When the others were already fast asleep, I quietly got down from the bunker bed and went out of the room. I snuck out quietly outside the house and went to the pond, where a few of Misty's Pokémon where asleep on its side or still wading around in the pond. A Goldeen and Barboach approached me when I came to the side of the pond – but then they scuttled away. I had no intention to bringing out my Pokémon tonight, but for some reason – Wartortle just popped out from its Pokéball on its own.

"Can't sleep too, huh?" I asked Wartortle.

When I was still in my first years as a trainer, Squirtle had been the hardy and the naught type before I met it. But when I raised it, it became the determined and the passionate Squirtle that I had wanted it to be. And now that it evolved into a Wartortle, I just felt that it could do even better.

Wartortle and I sat down on the side of the pond and we looked at the silent water shimmer under the half-crescent. I spotted one Poliwag rise up to the surface of the pond and leap out to the side – then it scuttled away to the direction of the bushes.

"You know what, Wartortle," I said to it, "when I raised you as a Squirtle, you had some sort of passion to keep helping so that everyone may live happy."

I strongly believed in the words, "One's action can change a million people's lives," in the positive sense. Firefighting was what Wartortle even liked more than what he had been as a notorious gangster. But even though, I could never forget the image of the Squirtle I met for the very first time.

"We've come a long way," I murmured. "And now, tomorrow is what we have to deal with."

All my efforts of training the Squirtle would pay off in this Wartortle. For tomorrow, the big event would dawn upon me.

For twenty minutes, Wartortle and I sat on the side of the pond and looked at the clear water. Though I could not bother to think what Wartortle was thinking, I seemed to doubt myself. Should I really be doing this? Why am I attending this Water Pokémon Contest? I had never forgotten my original purpose in my post-training – and that purpose was to at least find some girl that I can be around with – even for a little while.

But then again, things were making it difficult – Misty, May, and Dawn… who?

"Ash?"

Caught off-guard in my doubting, I jolted slightly and turned around quickly. A sleepy Dawn in her pajamas and her Piplup bedroom slippers was standing before me.

"Dawn, why are you out here?"

"I'm asking the same question," Dawn said and she stifled a yawn. "It's late in the night and… and…" she lost herself in mid-sentence.

"I – just can't sleep," I told her. "Tomorrow's big event is kinda making me nervous, so I – just feel so excited."

Dawn saw down on the side of the pond beside me and leaned her head on my shoulder. "Y-you can't perform well tomorrow if you don't have a good night's sleep, you – you know," she said and she yawned again. The yawning had a little G-flat tone attached to it. Meanwhile, Wartortle tugged at my pants.

"What is it?" I asked it.

Wartortle meant something about going back inside its Pokéball so it could sleep. "Well, it's fine," I told it. I took out the reserved Pokéball and returned Wartortle, "Good night." Dawn and I were the only ones left. Even after Dawn's fifth yawning, more Butterfree and Beautifly just kept on gathering in my stomach. It was like they were about to use Gust anytime.

"You know what," muttered Dawn, "maybe this is one kind of Pokémon Contest that can make me jittery all of a sudden." She moved her head a bit and continued, "I mean, participants gathering all around the world to partake in this prestigious Water Pokémon Contest… I wonder what kind of Pokémon they will have." A Politoed popped its head out of the water and looked around as if it was surveying the area. "I… er, don't really feel ready." Dawn continued. "I really want to know if my Pokémon are ready or not, but…"

Come to think of it, the only water-type I had seen from Dawn's Pokémon was Empoleon. The rest of the Pokémon in Dawn's roster were non-water. Maybe Dawn had other water-type Pokémon besides Empoleon – maybe she didn't show them yet to me. I wanted to ask Dawn her other water-type Pokémon besides Empoleon, but I decided to leave the thought of asking it to save the surprise.

Dawn had been utterly disappointed when she lost the Grand Festival in the Sinnoh region. But now that she could still grasp that chance for the Aqua Ribbon, worth five ribbons and an immediate entry into the Grand Festival, I felt that she could still make her next stand. Maybe one Aqua Ribbon was worth telling that world that Dawn could be capable of doing anything. As for me, I really had no intention of winning the Aqua Ribbon – I joined in the contest not for the glory as the Pokémon Master, but to simply have fun. Maybe, through that contest, I could learn something else. Perhaps there was that speck where I could find some lessons to learn while I still can – to benefit myself, the people around me, and all the Pokémon that exist.

In the first days after the end of the Sinnoh Conference League, Dawn had been shying for a while. But when we broke into some sort of emotional discomfort, I just couldn't say no to watching with her the meteor shower that took place somewhere near Viridian City. And when she said that she loved me, I was suddenly confused by what was going on. It was sweet at first… and gushy too. But as the days went by – and May and Misty suddenly made their moves towards me, I couldn't help but wonder, "What's happening among them?" While Dawn was still lolling, I took time to look back at what I had done to the girls. Most of the time, I had been so self-centered – with only that dream to become the Pokémon Master. Brock or Tracey and Dawn, May, or Misty and all my other Pokémon were maybe trying to help me relax and look at the bright side of life. Had I been a good friend to them?

Why did I kiss Dawn? Why did I kiss May? Why did I kiss Misty? Why did I feel the sensation that sprouted from the corner of my heart when I kissed them?

"Dawn," I muttered, "I…"

I caught my words in mid-sentence, unsure if I really had to do this. The lolling Dawn made some sort of sound that wanted me to continue. I couldn't think of what would happen if I told her.

"I'm sleepy," I told her.

A few seconds later, Dawn lifted her head from her shoulder and pulled me up. "Let's get to bed," she said. When I got to the bed, with Pikachu still curled up near the pillow, I lied down and looked outside the bedroom window. The night was at its darkest, but the glimmers of the city lights continued to brighten up the night. I turned to look at the clock, visible enough thanks to the light outside the bedroom window, and saw the second hand align with both the minute and the hour hand. I drew a short breath, pulled myself under the covers, and closed my eyes.

Maybe I got so caught up in my emotions… maybe I had been playing myself as a fool all along… but now that I've come this far in my life, what should I do next? Should I deny the fact about my self-centeredness, or move on while processing my character improvement? Should I… or… should…

GET READY FOR THE AQUA-PALOOZA WATER POKÉMON CONTEST IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!

* * *

Next chapter in Winner Takes Ash: Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes

"Ash of Pallet Town has stepped up on stage and is about to bring out his Pokémon to perform in the appeal round. Let's see what the Sinnoh Conference Grand Champion has in store for us."

The whole world was watching – I thought to myself. I didn't want to let anyone down. I just had to focus. I had to concentrate and bring out everything that I could. I stood there in the middle of the platform – in the center of five thousand or more people watching from every angle. The time came. I readied the Pokémon that I had been training with for years… and it was time to bring fruit all the effort of the years that kept the bond strong. It was only one strong and skillful throw of a Pokéball to the air that would jumpstart my day.

…

"I made it!" KC squealed. I went outside of the house and into the garden and found it packed with a lot of people, namely: Brock, Lucy, Tracey, May, Max, Dawn, KC, Misty, Daisy, Lily, Violet, Professor Birch, Professor Oak, and mom. When they spotted me, all of them started applauding. I didn't know what this was about until Brock stepped forward after the applause died down.

'What's this about?" I asked Brock, feeling a bit hopeful.

"The results were just posted an hour ago – when I came back from the market actually," he explained. "Five of us made it to the second round."

"You've got four girls and a guy," Tracey said as a hint.

"Yup," KC said and she approached me. "I made it! And so did you, big brother!"

…

The last match was about to be picked for the day. After a few seconds of electronic picking, the first panel showed.

"It's your turn, Ash," May told me.

And when the second panel showed, my heart skipped a beat. Was this some kind of computer malfunction?

"Ash versus…" KC said as she looked up at the panel screen and stood there unbelievingly, "I don't believe it…"

**To be continued…**

* * *

**Existing Chapters:**

**Prologue – The Pokémon Masters**

**Chapter 1 – Face-Off**

**Chapter 2 – Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3 – Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4 – Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

**Chapter 5 – Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience**

**Chapter 6 – Forest and Poisons**

**Chapter 7 – It's A Whole New Gym Leader**

**Chapter 8 – Brock's Flashback**

**Chapter 9 – Pains of the Past**

**Chapter 10 – Petalburg Pursuit – To the Maximum!**

**Chapter 11 – Bringing Back the Young Days**

**Chapter 12 – A Little Taste of Darkness**

**Chapter 13 – Nightmares**

**Chapter 14 – A Night in the Meadows**

**Chapter 15 – The Amazing Transformation**

**Chapter 16 – Tidal Terror**

**Chapter 17 – Lost From the Tree**

**Chapter 18 – Love Fever – Stricken!**

**Chapter 19 – Three-Way Hostility**

**Chapter 20 – Detection of Infection – A Virus Like No Other!**

**Chapter 21 – A Secret of Two Trainers Unveiled**

**Chapter 22 – Contest Preparations**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Well, if you guys had noticed, Chapter 22 was supposed to be the title of the next chapter (shown above). However, it would be too long and too complicated if I put the preparations and the contest proper in one chapter, so I decided to split it. So Chapter 23 will be the former title of Chapter 22, Chapter 24 to Chapter 23, and so on. Anyway, my school's out – and so I'll be writing stories once more. However, I cannot guarantee you that I'll keep on posting my chapters. However, I should finish the first novel of Winner Takes Ash so I can start working on my second novel: Resurrections (look in my profile for the sneak peek).

**The author does not own Pokémon, GameFreak, Nintendo, or any of its franchises, softwares, games, merchandises, blah, blah, blah… And due to some delays, the author has decided to malfunction himself for a little while… oh, but he owns Winner Takes Ash.**

**PowerZone**


	25. Ch23: Wet n' Wild

**CHAPTER 23: LOTS AND LOTS OF WET N' WILD SHOWDOWNS AND SPLASHES**

One heck of a good time!

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 20) "So this is the girl you talked to me about," Lucy told Brock while looking at Dawn. "This is the Pokémon Coordinator from Sinnoh, Dawn, right?"

"Yes," Dawn looked at Lucy.

"Nice to meet you," Lucy said to Dawn. "I'm Lucy." Lucy held out a hand for Dawn to shake. Dawn took it. "Personally, I used to be the Battle Frontier Pike Queen." And the two girls settled to a conversation in another part of the reception room. Brock approached me and sat on the sofa opposite mine.

"So how were things," Brock started.

"Fine," I answered, "so far."

(Chapter 22)

"Dawn, why are you out here?"

"I'm asking the same question," Dawn said and she stifled a yawn. "It's late in the night and… and…" she lost herself in mid-sentence.

"I – just can't sleep," I told her. "Tomorrow's big event is kinda making me nervous, so I – just feel so excited."

* * *

**STORY PROPER:**

**PART 1 – STARTING OFF**

The sounds that woke me up were the sounds of overhead explosions – firecrackers! The Contest was finally on! When I saw up on the bed and looked around, I realized that everyone was already outside. I got down from the bed and went outside, and sure enough – everyone was gathered for breakfast in Misty's garden.

"This is it," Misty said to all of us.

"Yeah," May said, "the day has finally come."

"I hope we're all ready," Dawn said.

I stayed silent throughout the whole breakfast, and it was only Brock who seemed to notice my silence. I was prepared – if only I could keep the Butterfree away from my stomach.

Not too soon after (and what a scrumptious breakfast that was), all of us were already gathered in the main building of the Cerulean Arena. We have never seen so many participants gather for the contest – it seemed that they had mixed emotions and that they were thrilled to start the contest. I also spotted a few of the people that I've met before: Harley, Zoey, and Nando. But the three didn't seem to notice us as they just kept on going with their course. I finally got over the sinking feeling – and it was replaced with exuberant excitement. I just couldn't wait to get this contest started.

The clock struck nine, and one of the representatives of the event came to the stage.

"Good morning participants," came the representative who stepped on the waiting hall platform and was speaking through his lapel. "We thank you for your patience to wait for the launching of the contest. We know that you've spent weeks shaping up your water Pokémon in their skills, power, abilities, and style – just so you could make the perfect combination." Everyone in the waiting room paid attention to the representative. "The long wait is finally over, as the contest is about to begin. You've all been given a contest guide upon registration confirmation before you stepped in here, right?" I was holding my contest guide. "We want you to read the guide so that you will know what to do – and follow the rules and regulations of the Contest. We do not want any unnecessary… er… actions from the participants or their Pokémon. So, it's all about maintaining your cool."

The representative finished his opening speech with, "Take time to look at the large screen behind me because that's where all announcements will be made. And in a few minutes, we will be picking the first participant for the Appeal Round. Best of wishes to you all, and give it your best!" When the representative stepped down from the stage, everyone applauded.

I read through the contest guide while waiting for the first participant to get picked. The contest guide mentioned the contest mechanics, the rules and regulations, the schedule, the panel of judges, etc. When I got to the third page, something tugged at my pants. It was Pikachu.

"Pika – pika pika pi!" Pikachu was pointing to the large screen. The large screen was already picking the first participant. Everyone in the waiting room was transfixed – who would it be?

The first participant turned out to be… Brock!

"Wow," Brock said to himself, "now this is a first!"

We all wished Brock the best of luck. He stepped out of the waiting room and went into the direction of the stage. Now I really wondered how it would feel to stand once more on the stage – in front of the whole world. We fixed ourselves to the screen and saw the name of the next person to perform. When this was called, the screen then transfixed on Brock, who was already standing on the stage. From his posture and his expression, Brock seemed fortunately confident.

Brock sent out his Swampert. He had Swampert use Muddy Water above it. When the water reached a desired height, Swampert let out a fierce Ice Beam attack. In just one swift wave, it solidified the water. Soon, the stage had a large chunk of frozen mud. Brock then told his Swampert to use Iron Tail and work on something that I didn't get to hear. When the big clock hit thirty seconds remaining (participants were only given three minutes to perform their appeals), Brock and Swampert presented their masterpiece. It was pretty impressive – a muddy sculpture of Brock and Swampert. It awed the crowd a bit – and the judges seemed to gain their first impression.

When Brock came back to the waiting room, some of the participants were applauding. Brock was sweating an awful lot.

"Yeah," he admitted, "it was like my knees were about to fall apart… you can't believe how many people were out there!"

When the first hour was finished – fifteen participants were already finished. A little later, Dawn was called, and after Dawn would be May.

Dawn worked well with her Feraligatr, and May did well with her Vaporeon. Though the end results were a bit similar with each other, the way they let their Pokémon maneuvered it stood out. The crowd seemed stunned and amazed. Dawn's Feraligatr was able to maneuver a water twister around the arena, while May's Vaporeon pulled out impressive pillars of water. I had to note that the stage was solid – so it would almost seem impossible for water to keep spurting out from the bottom, because there were no holes or hatches whatsoever.

"Wow," KC said to them, "I've never seen anything like it! How'd you do that?"

"Simple," May said and she giggled. "Practice."

I noticed that the judges did not give the results of the performance. I remembered, though, that performers with a score of eighty or above would proceed to the next round. If my computations were correct – every judge was given twenty points to merit each performer.

"Well," I overheard KC, "it's finally time."

I was so engrossed in my nervousness that I almost forgot to cheer my sister. "You'll be fine, KC," I called out before she stepped out of the waiting room.

I didn't think of it, but only now did I realize that KC and I almost had a lot in common. The both of us did collect badges, for starters. But to watch my own sister perform in a Pokémon Contest, I really wanted to find out.

KC used her Squirtle for the Appeal Round. Throughout the course of three minutes, KC felt cool – she did not dare to show any signs of weakness or recklessness. Her Squirtle felt the determination that ebbed from its trainer – and therefore performed well. The Ice Beam, Hydro Pump, and Bubblebeam combination – forming a solid arch with bubbles spurting out from different gaps in the arch – was mighty impressive. She was able to bend the reality to produce something that we could never expect.

"So how did I do," KC asked me.

"You did very impressive," I told her reassuringly. "I really wonder if I can top that coordination…"

I wondered if Floatzel was ready for this – it'll be its first time in a Pokémon Contest, so I just felt a bit unconfident that Floatzel might develop stage fright. But the way Floatzel gracefully danced in the air when it was summoned in battle – it was definitely contest material. If anything happened in the middle of the contest while Floatzel would be performing – well, I'll just have to stick with it.

We had been in the waiting room for almost three hours, and the contest seemed to go on non-stop. May had already been complaining about getting a soda, while Dawn wanted to take some snacks. Brock did all the delivery requests. Even Pikachu couldn't help himself to resist some Pokétreats. And when it was half-past twelve, the panel finally picked me. It was show time.

"This is it," Brock told me. "You better show the whole world out there what you're made of."

"Good luck, Ash," Misty called.

"Best of wishes, dear brother," KC called.

I nodded to them and a few other participants who wished me luck. I walked out of the waiting room and into the direction of the stage. The light ahead of me at the end of the hallway seemed like the light that would bring me to a point where I had to make or break my career. I just wanted to have fun. But there was no turning back, now that I've come this far. I only had to move on – one step at a time – and into the light.

* * *

The stands were fully packed and the noon sun – absorbed by the glass dome overhead – shone bright into the arena. All I could hear were the yells, the jeers, and the cheers of the spectators cheering me on as I went to the stage, a circular platform raised about ten feet off the ground. Five judges distanced equally around the circle watched me eager to perform. The announcer, positioned somewhere off the platform, got ready to proceed with the commentary.

"Ash of Pallet Town has stepped up on stage and is about to bring out his Pokémon to perform in the appeal round. Let's see what the Sinnoh Conference Grand Champion has in store for us."

The whole world was watching – I thought to myself. I didn't want to let anyone down. I just had to focus. I had to concentrate and bring out everything that I could. I stood there in the middle of the platform – in the center of five thousand or more people watching from every angle. The time came. I readied the Pokémon that I had been training with for years… and it was time to bring fruit all the effort of the years that kept the bond strong. It was only one strong and skillful throw of a Pokéball to the air that would jumpstart my day.

POP! The Pokéball popped open with a series of glitters and a burst of water that spun round and round. In the center of the twisting water figure, Floatzel was spinning gracefully and descending down to the stage. When it landed on the ground, it stood there and welcomed everyone by raising its two weasel arms to the air. The crowd cheered.

"Ash decides to use his Floatzel," came the commentary, "a water Pokémon native to the Sinnoh region. Known for it speed and power, Floatzel can be handy Pokémon, and when well trained, can even become a contest powerhouse!"

I had no time to waste. Ten seconds already passed in Floatzel's entrance.

"Let's start off with a good Bubblebeam!"

Floatzel exerted a barrage of bubbles into the air, and while doing so, it spun around on the spot – so that the path of the bubbles seemed like a twister. When there were enough bubbles, the bubbles were already floating in the air.

"Let's pull it off with Brine!"

A strong water shower burst out from Floatzel and shot all the way to the air. Because of the sun overhead, the light magnified into the water – and thus creating some sort of rainbow pattern that linked the bubbles together.

"Astounding use of moves combining with the force of nature," the commentary said, "this has got to be a dazzling series of combinations!"

Floatzel let out more bubbles – to prepare for the next move.

"Let's test our creativity," I told Floatzel. "Ice Beam on the bubbles!"

Floatzel's Ice Beam was quick and powerful. It maneuvered all its accuracy to freeze the bubbles that it had to hit. Even the commentary was left wondering.

"I wonder what Ash and Floatzel are trying to do? The suspense is killing me!"

When the Ice Beam solidifies one of the bubbles, the rainbow that attaches to that bubble disappears. Therefore, our motive was to create a rainbow picture by freezing the bubbles so that a picture could be obtained.

"Oh, my, my, my," came the announcer, "this has got to be a spectacular view! I want the cameramen to watch the outlook of this picture!"

When viewed, the rainbows formed a picture of Floatzel's head.

Floatzel and I bowed to everyone. The bubbles overhead popped one-by-one until nothing remained. The result was an arch of colors shining from the two ends to each other. We only performed for two minutes and fifteen seconds, but we finally got the combination we had been practicing for these past months.

"Most impressive," spoke one of the judges, "it was like watching a romantic movie from the late 80's!"

"No words could ever describe the dazzling combination that you and your Floatzel performed," said another judge, "no word except incredible!"

"In all my years of Pokémon Contest judging," came the third one, "this must be a combination that I had been looking for all my life!"

"Remarkable," came the fourth one, "it can only be the best word I can think of! But truly, you and your Pokémon pulled it off with a perfect combination!"

"You have toiled years of training such an incredible Pokémon," came the final judge, whose voice belonged to Nurse Joy. "And only in the past two-and-a-half minutes did you let the whole world know that your Floatzel is one to be reckoned with!"

I took the chance to watch the screen, where it showed the result of Floatzel's test of accuracy and creativity. The rainbows formed a picture of Floatzel. "Incredible job," I told the weasel. Floatzel bobbed up and down and waved at the crowd, which in turn waved back and cheered.

Floatzel and I walked down the stage and back to the waiting room. When we arrived back in the room, we were greeted by some friendly compliments. I passed by some of the participants, some of who were applauding for the performance. Some of the girls were also blushing. And when I arrived to the group, the first thing that came to me was a squeeze from KC.

"You were incredible!" KC squealed. "That definitely topped my combination!"

"We can never know," I told her. "After all, the judges didn't bother to score – not yet." I wondered why.

"I think I know why," Misty said. "There's still a deliberation at the end of the day," she explained. "The judges might be reviewing the combinations – and they'll decide who'll be picked for the second round."

"Wonderful move," Dawn remarked. "I shouldn't have traded Buizel in the first place!" The two of us laughed.

Pikachu leapt from Brock's shoulder to my shoulder and patted me behind my head. I thanked Pikachu for reassuring me.

"That's contest material," May said. "Hmm… your Floatzel looks cute."

It was May's first time to see my Floatzel. May patted it a little, Floatzel seemed to feel comfortable.

"I saw everything," came a voice behind me. I turned around and found… Drew!

"Drew!"

He flickered his hair (oh man, things won't ever change) and said, "Yeah, I admit. It was pretty impressive. Your Floatzel there has contest material, all right." Well, at least he gave the comment positively. I swiftly turned to May, who was trying to avoid Drew's gaze and pretending as if she didn't notice him. Drew just shrugged it off.

"Oh well," he said, "I guess there's no point in hanging out any longer." He started to walk away when he said, "Good luck and advance congratulations to those who'll make it." He waved a hand and walked back to the crowd.

I felt a bit stunned. "Looks like he just challenged his confidence," Brock muttered.

I nodded disbelievingly. "Some things won't ever change," I muttered back at Brock and spied May, who was still looking away from the direction where Drew had been. Maybe she did it on purpose so that she wouldn't get intimidated. And Drew hadn't performed yet.

* * *

Misty's name came sometime after three in the afternoon. She sent out her Golduck to perform. The combination could even be just as astounding as I had performed. The coordination seemed so perfect – it was almost too hard to miss. She had Golduck use Hydro Pump then had it suspend the water in the air with Psychic. Golduck seemed to be using some sort of chakra summoning style, but it was actually manipulating the airborne water to create some sort of figure. In some parts, Misty had Golduck split the water into two, then four, then eight, and then finally sixteen. It took all of Golduck's psychic power to produce sixteen kinds of Pokémon by shaping the water using its Psychic. I had to admit, that was a sure topper!

"Oh wow," May squealed. "Even for a gym leader like you, you can really pull off some contest moves! You should be a Coordinator instead!"

Misty took that compliment light-heartedly.

Some of the names of the participants almost seemed familiar – of course, Drew, was there. But there were also names of Nando, Zoey, Harley, and Soledad. I observed their combination and they turned out to be pretty impressive.

Tracey was the last among us to perform. He used his Marill to juggle bubbles of water. It was cute. But then, his Marill juggled four rings of bubbles that coordinated to each other so that every bubble would not interfere in the path of the other. The crowd and the judges seemed awed.

"You seemed relaxed," Brock told Tracey.

"Well, it was just because I didn't feel confident," Tracey said this and he took it as a pun.

Perhaps Tracey was right. In many of my gym battles, the only reason why I felt relaxed was because I didn't feel confident.

The first round seemed to end so quickly – the last participant finished by around half-past seven.

"By tomorrow, the results will have been posted," came the representative. "The second round will proceed two days from now, so that you can give your Pokémon some rest and relaxation to prepare for the Contest Battles. Good show out there, everyone, and we hope that you keep up in performance level!" When the representative stepped down from the stage in the waiting room, everyone applauded.

Everyone departed from the waiting room and out of the Cerulean Arena. The participants still kept on discussing to themselves about what happened throughout the day. Well, in our group, there was no other person overcome with overexcitement than KC. She seemed to be the giddiest among all of us. It was light-heartening to see my sister so happy.

* * *

We all went back to Misty's home and decided to have a little celebration. The night had gotten late so quickly. Though the others were still in the living room partying the whole night long (and Pikachu still in the dance floor), I decided to go up to bed and spend a little quiet.

I lied down on the bed and looked up – wondering if what good would this contest do for me. "Thanks Floatzel," I whispered quietly. For the rest of the night, I decided to read through the contest guide. One section in the Contest Battles interested me – a section entitled "Pooling it Off." That section listed the guide to the Contest Battles and how to use the battleground effectively. It turned out that there was some sort of underwater devices that trainers have to use for their advantage. For example, the pool may switch to a darker contrast – therefore rendering some water Pokémon invisible when underwater. Or the pool can switch to an ocean setting – which is disadvantageous to freshwater Pokémon like Poliwag and Marill. I've also read that the pool can switch to a polluted setting – which many water-type Pokémon must avoid – that is, except Corphish and Crawdaunt.

There was also another thing that caught in my interest about the restrictions: that no Pokémon should stay underwater in the pool for more than thirty seconds. Otherwise, every second passed would mean point deductions from the Pokémon.

"Studying through the guide," came May's voice as she entered the room. I just glanced at May and continued reading. In just a few seconds, she left the room.

I definitely wondered how these settings could change and not affect the natural setting of the water – perhaps there were special filters. Maybe I should change my perspectives of battling and keep an eye out for any changes in the water.

When I got tired of reading the guide, I set it aside and prepared to sleep.

If I ever I would make it to the Contest Battles, I would give it my all. If I didn't, well, it would be a waste for Floatzel. I definitely didn't want to put him down – that's why we gave it our best. The comments of the judges still rung in my ears. At least that's what I'd be hearing at the end of the day.

* * *

It was as if the next morning was just like the one yesterday – a new light of hope shone into the room. And as usual, I was the last to wake up. I recalled that the contest would proceed tomorrow, so that the judges could do their deliberation today. Misty decided to close the gym for today, so that she could spend a little more time with the "family." We held some battles in Misty's backyard (and what a large backyard it was). It was practicing for the Contest Battles, to be held in the next day.

Lucy decided to do the raffling, and so she handpicked the opponents. The first match was Brock versus KC, next was me versus May, then Dawn versus Misty. Tracey decided to leave himself out of the battles to give chance to the more capable ones. Though we tried to persuade Tracey to battle with Lucy, even Lucy herself backed out.

"All battles are one-on-one and water-Pokémon only," Lucy announced. She was also holding a whistle and a stopwatch. "All battles will also be timed for five minutes. So when five minutes is up, I will whistle for battle over."

"Um, there's just one problem," May said. "How will we know by the end of five minutes – in the case that both Pokémon are still standing – that the winner is decided?"

It took Lucy a little while to come up with a solution. "Well, maybe I can make an exception – the battle will end in a draw."

When everything was settled, Brock and KC took their places. When Lucy started the battle with a long blow to her whistle, the two took out their Pokémon. Brock chose his Kabutops, while KC picked out Sealeo. The two Pokémon battled it out with all their effort – Kabutops concentrated on its speed and power, while Sealeo relied on defense and special attack. By the end of five minutes, Kabutops was the last one standing.

The next battle was me against May. She decided to use her Vaporeon, while I decided to use Wartortle. Vaporeon was swift, so I had to rely on Wartortle's defense. In one point of the match, the two Pokémon used their Iron Tail and dealt heavy damage on each other. At the end of five minutes, both of them were still standing. The battle was called a draw.

Dawn and Misty were the next ones to step forward. Dawn picked her Empoleon, while Misty used her Poliwrath. Surprisingly, Poliwrath pulled it off with its newly taught Focus Blast attack, which was highly effective against Empoleon, which was partly steel-type. Dawn also gave another surprise for Poliwrath, for Empoleon maneuvered its Drill Peck attack, a move super-effective against Poliwrath. At the end of five minutes, however, Empoleon stood victorious.

And since the winners had to battle it out in the next battle, it was only Brock versus Dawn. Brock used his Swampert, while Dawn used her Feraligatr.

"Just like that gym match, eh, Dawn?" Brock called before the whistle rang out.

Swampert stuck to its tactic of digging underground then creating a duplicate of itself to lure Feraligatr. But Feraligatr wouldn't fall for the same trick twice. Instead, it used Earthquake to lure Swampert out of the ground, and then it pulled a fast Mega Punch attack – which found its mark. But Swampert was also cunning. It went back underground. Dawn had Ferligatr use Earthquake once more, Brock's Swampert was also lured out. But when Dawn used Mega Punch, the Swampert faded. It turned out that the Swampert was just an illusory. Brock's real Swampert then snuck out from behind and pulled it off with an Iron Tail attack. At the end, Brock's Swampert stood victorious.

"Wow," Misty said. "You could get a shot tomorrow, Brock. That is, if ever you'll be qualified."

Swampert was strong and mighty capable. It was as if Brock had a fighting chance tomorrow. What if he won the competition? It would be an amazing turnabout to see.

The day seemed to have passed quickly – and early evening started to pull in. Brock had went to the market to buy for dinner, while the rest of us tried to keep our hopes up in the event that any of us would be qualified for the second round. And when Brock came back from the market, and everyone gathered outside, I heard KC squealed.

"I made it!" KC squealed. I went outside of the house and into the garden and found it packed with a lot of people, namely: Brock, Lucy, Tracey, May, Max, Dawn, KC, Misty, Daisy, Lily, Violet, Professor Birch, Professor Oak, and mom. When they spotted me, all of them started applauding. I didn't know what this was about until Brock stepped forward after the applause died down.

'What's this about?" I asked Brock, feeling a bit hopeful.

"The results were just posted an hour ago – when I came back from the market actually," he explained. "Five of us made it to the second round."

"You've got four girls and a guy," Tracey said as a hint.

"Yup," KC said and she approached me. "I made it! And so did you, big brother!"

Brock called aloud. "The five people who made it to the second round are Ash, KC, Dawn, May, and Misty. Well, that's all that I have to say." He didn't feel disappointed in the slightest.

Now that the five of us made it to the second round, I became even more worried. What if I had to face one of them? I just had to accept any consequences that might come. But for now, I should try to relax a little and be a little more cheerful. That way, maybe I could forget about being worried.

* * *

**PART 2 – LET THE BATTLE BEGIN**

"Good morning, Ash," was the first greeting that I got when I woke up. KC was prodding me like she had a ladle with her. "Rise and shine, dear brother. We have to prepare for the Contest Battles today!"

Upon hearing the word Contest Battles, I suddenly sat up. But when I checked on the clock, I figured out it was still half-past-six in the morning. Now I seemed to be excited.

"Had a good night's sleep?" KC asked cheerfully.

"Yeah," I said while I pulled out a smile.

It was important that I pull myself together and stuff up the needed energy to perform well in the contest battles. Misty prepared an energizing breakfast put up for all of us – even for those who didn't qualify. After eating breakfast, I could feel like I could anything. I could almost feel confident about getting through this round.

"Good morning participants," came the representative. "Congratulations for making it to the second round of the contest. It took all morning for the judges to deliberate and decide on the participants who made it to the second round." He cleared his throat and continued, "Well, we're going to start off with the first contest battle of the day when you see the two or three participants that will appear behind me. So, good luck and we wish you all the best." With that, he ended his speech and stepped down the platform.

"This is where the Contest heats up," Dawn told us.

"Ooh," May shrugged in excitement, "I can't wait to get this started! This is where I shine!"

"In any case," I told them, "let's all do our best!"

The participants quickly turned to the panel screen as we watched the first pair to be picked off for the first match of Round 1. Below where the two participants were supposed to show up in the panel screen, there was a map. It seemed that there would be five rounds for the Contest Battles – round 4 being the semi-finals and round 5 being the finals. The first participant showed up on the screen, and not too soon, the second. Misty, Dawn, May, KC, and I were relieved that none of us were picked.

"That was close," Misty said.

However, the panel screen started to shuffle once more for another match. It seemed that the matches would take place in the different arenas – since the first match would be held in the Northwest Arena Battlefield No. 2. There were four shuffles in all, and miraculously, none of us were picked in the shuffling. Now we just had to wait until one of us would be picked.

Some few minutes later, an announcement came, "Participants, take time to listen to the announcements for upcoming matches as shown on the panel screen in the board."

More shuffles, disappointed and victorious participants, and emotion stresses later, May became the first one among us to be picked. Her opponent was a trainer from the Johto region.

"You can do it, May!" We cheered May on as she left the waiting room and made her way to Southeast Arena.

We watched May perform in the contest battle. She sent out her Lumineon to perform against her opponent's Luvdisc. From the look of things, May was only given five minutes and it was a one-on-one battle. We felt the intensity rise up as every second passed. The contest life of the two Pokémon slowly decreased as every Pokémon landed hits on each other, or a Pokémon fails in its attack. I had to be observant – not at the Pokémon or their trainers – but on the pool. When I read the guide, it mentioned that the pool would be changing settings from time to time. I wondered if May noticed that part of the guide. Some two minutes into the match, the pool changed from the original setting to murky brown – the polluted type. The Lumineon and the Luvdisc were forced to go on the platforms to avoid points taken from them. One minute before time-up, the pool's settings changed from murky brown to deep blue color. May's Lumineon dove into the water so that it could blend with the surroundings. But Luvdisc, orange as it was, failed to absorb the deep blue color of the pool. May pulled off the win by forcing her Lumineon to use Water Pulse on Luvdisc. The four of us cheered on May's victory.

"KC Ketchum of Cerulean City and Fiona Kingsley of Maroon Village," came the announcement, "your match is up next after the match at Northwest Arena Battlefield No. 1 ends."

"Oh dear," KC said quite disapprovingly.

"Don't be like that," I told her. "Tell me, what do you do when you're about to enter a gym battle?"

"Well," KC answered dreamily, "I pump myself up."

"That's just how you're supposed to do," I said to her. "If you have confidence, then you can make it. Win confidently or lose confidently – we all don't know. What matters is that you go out there and bring out everything you have!"

KC took all these words and she nodded. "Thanks, big brother!" she said and she swiftly moved towards me and squeezed me.

"You'll be fine," May said to her. "Just keep your cool out there!"

KC exited the waiting room. Now all what we had to do was wait until her battle would start. We watched through one of the screens a battle in the northwest arena that ended when the clock reached zero. A Tentacruel had just won over a Lanturn because it had more contest points remaining.

We watched KC and her opponent enter the arena. The rules speculated that it was a one-on-one battle set for twenty minutes. KC brought out her Squirtle, while her opponent brought out her Prinplup.

The contest points went down slowly, and in almost every three minutes, the settings of the pool changed. One of the settings included the pool becoming a sauna – which relaxed both of the Pokémon, but took some points off them because they didn't have enough time to relax. And when the first ten minutes passed, KC was standing at a disadvantage. She only had one-fourth contest life remaining, while her opponent still had three-fourths left.

"KC," I said under my breath, "you're not controlling yourself."

KC and her Squirtle were able to hang on for five minutes until their opponent's life reached one-fourth remaining. She decided to bring on a risk – either finish the match in one hit, or lose the battle in the next turn.

Surprisingly, the water changed from the freezing water to the deep blue water. Both Pokémon blended in the deep blue water. However, KC had Squirtle use Whirlpool so that Prinplup could avoid escape. One of the rules stated that no Pokémon should stay in the pool for over thirty seconds. Yet, the strong and fierce whirlpool trapped Prinplup inside the Whirlpool. Thirty seconds passed and the whirlpool was only starting to slow down. Squirtle had already gone to one of the platforms. The contest points of KC's opponent gradually decreased until only a sixteenth of it was left. And when Prinplup got to safety, KC and her opponent's contest life were more-or-less the same.

"Come on," I said under my breath, "you can do it. Just pull it off with one final shot."

All it would take for KC to end the match was one final attack. Prinplup and Squirtle decided to go for their last attack – Prinplup being Drill Peck and Squirtle being Skull Bash. The two Pokémon launched their final attack at each other – and their attacks met with such ferocity that an explosion occurred on where they met.

In the end, both Pokémon were still standing. Contest points were taken off from the both of them. At the same time, the timer rang with a loud honk. Upon evaluation of the very minute points, the winner was decided. KC won the match!

"Whoa," I said, even I couldn't believe it, "that's was definitely a first!"

KC reentered the waiting hall and ran towards us.

"Wow, you really did it!" May said.

"Now, I've got a rival to get on," Dawn said quite excitedly. "But, congratulations KC!"

"Boy that was close," Misty said as she shook KC's hand. "You did pull off in the end."

"I brought out everything I had," KC turned to me. "I knew that it was a win or lose chance… but, in the end, things turned for the best."

At half-past eleven, Dawn's and Misty's names were called. Fortunately, they were to go on separate battles. May, KC, and I watched in two different sides to see their battles. Dawn participated in a triple-threat five-minute one-on-one-on-one match, while Misty participated in a ten-minute two-on-two double battle. Dawn brought out her Empoleon to send out against Pelipper and Gastrodon, while Misty used her Golduck and Corsola to battle against Slowking and Whiscash.

Dawn's battle seemed to end quickly – because the Pelipper and the Empoleon worked together to bring down Gastrodon in just two minutes. The Pelipper and the Empoleon fought off their strength to bring down the other. Empoleon finished it off with a Drill Peck and Pelipper fainted.

In Misty's side, her Corsola was injured, but her Golduck still stayed strong. Misty had Corsola used Recover. But the opponent's Whiscash reacted quickly with a Mud Bomb, bringing down Corsola instantly. We thought that she would be placed in a tight spot, but Misty pulled off a surprise by using Brick Break on Whiscash, in which Golduck brought it down in one chop.

Just when things were about to pick up, Brock and Pikachu came to the room.

"Hey Ash," Brock greeted as Pikachu leapt from Brock's shoulder into mine. "How's Misty doing?"

I turned to the screen where Misty's match was and said, "She's in a tight spot. But she's still got over three minutes to spare." Brock then turned to the screen.

Misty's Golduck and her opponent's Slowking were fighting underwater, although the two of them attempted psychic attacks on each other and failed – costing them some contest life.

When the both of them fell to the last minute, both of the Pokémon only had one-eighth contest life remaining. While Slowking used Iron Tail, Golduck decided to use Slash. Both attacks found each other – and it cost them little points. And when the settings of the pool changed into dirty brown, Misty took her chance.

She risked and let Golduck dive into the murky water, so that it wouldn't be hit by Slowking's psychic attacks. Slowking, fearful as it was, waited for the moment. But Golduck swiftly appeared where Slowking and its trainer least expected to appear. Golduck smashed with its Brick Break through the platform where Slowking was and used its final Slash attack, bringing Slowking's contest life points to zero. The match ended – with Misty as the victor.

The two victors came back to the waiting room, their fists pumped in the air.

"Awesome," May said to the both of them. "Dawn, you really finished it quickly – as if you never even broke a sweat!"

I patiently waited for my turn – and when it was a quarter to three in the afternoon, my time came. I was to participate in a one-on-one-on-one single battle with a ten-minute time limit.

"Good luck, Ash," Misty called.

My match was held in the Southwest Arena in Battlefield No. 3. A circular swimming pool and some spectators were what were needed to start this match. And since it was a triple-threat match, there were three posts for the trainers. I stood on one of the posts, while my other two opponents took their position. The large screen showed ten minutes on the clock and the contest life of the three participants ready to battle it out.

"Let the match begin!"

I sent out my Lapras, while my other two opponents sent out their Qwilfish and Octillery. I had to keep an eye for Octillery in case in might use Solarbeam or Zap Cannon, two moves disadvantageous for Lapras.

Three minutes into the match, it seemed as if nothing could go wrong. Lapras was able to dodge most of the attacks, and even when the pool settings kept on changing, Lapras didn't seem to be affected by it. A few Ice Beams were all what was needed to bring Qwilfish out of the match. Octillery brought Qwilfish down with its Octazooka. Six minutes had already passed into the match.

I only had a fourth of my contest life remaining when the eighth minute came by. Lapras was already wearing out from dodging Solarbeam, Thunder, and Zap Cannon. Octillery paid a heavy consequence for missing the attacks.

In the final minute, the pool settings changed from deep blue to murky brown. Octillery was forced to surface so that it could not pull any disadvantage. But I reacted fast.

"Body slam on Octillery to the platform!"

Lapras surfed forward and slammed Octillery with its belly into the platform. I didn't need Lapras to slam Octillery into the pool floor. The impact brought Octillery's contest points to zero.

"Lapras wins the match," came the referee's decision.

I could only feel a cry of jubilance while I stepped down from the platform and walked back to the arena waiting hall, where my other two opponents congratulated me. And when I arrived back in the main waiting hall, I was greeted by a wave of congratulations from May, Misty, Dawn, KC, Brock, and Tracey. Pikachu patted me on the back of my head and greeted me the same way. All of the five made it through round one – and we all scaled forward in the tree. It turned out that I was one of the last participants to participate in Round 1 of the Contest Battles. And by five in the afternoon, Round 2 began.

Round 2 of the Contest Battles only finished halfway – with Misty advancing to Round 3 – and when the time struck seven-o-clock, the announcement called, "Round two will continue tomorrow starting nine o' clock in the morning."

At least Misty had to rest – now that she advanced to Round 3.

* * *

**PART 3 – SURPRISES IN STORE**

I really didn't get to do much after that – because before I knew it, it was already the next day. When the Contest Battles continued, May was suddenly chosen to pit against Dawn. It made my heart skip a beat. I couldn't say any good luck greetings to any of them, for fear that I might get overwhelmed. I really didn't want to see any of them lose – but it was how destiny chose its course. And now, two coordinators who I've known for a very long time were going to pit against each other in a Contest Battle. May and Dawn disappeared through the waiting room doors and made their way to where they were supposed to battle.

I hesitated as I watched the screen. May and Dawn were already taking their stands. And even in the midst of the noises the other participants were making, I could still make out what the referee said. The referee said that the match was a one-on-one untimed single battle.

Dawn used her Feraligatr while May stuck to her Vaporeon.

The two of them entered offensive mode in the early parts of the match. Feraligatr and Vaporeon were freely allowed to swim underwater because of the untimed match. Most of Feraligatr's moves were physical attacks, while most of Vaporeon's moves were of special attacks. Both Pokémon tried to land attacks on each other, but they were too swift and defensive.

Some three minutes into the match, the pool settings changed from original to freezing. An iceberg started to gather in the middle of the pool. Feraligatr easily crushed the iceberg and continued charging towards Vaporeon with its Mega Punch attack. Vaporeon, however, used Acid Armor to dodge the incoming attack. The Pokémon could handle the freezing water, and they had to surface every now and then just to remove the chill and let the sun heat them up.

The settings changed soon from freezing to murky brown. Dawn used this as an advantage – and she sent her Feraligatr into the murky water. May had to force her Vaporeon to stay in the platform and watch out for Feraligatr's movements. Just when Feraligatr seemed to be surfacing, May had Vaporeon use Ice Beam on the incoming surfacing Feraligatr. However, no Feraligatr showed up. It turned out the way like Brock did to Dawn in the gym battle. Dawn's Feraligatr made a surprise attack behind Vaporeon and landed a swift Mega Punch attack, which hit Vaporeon full in the face.

When the settings changed from murky brown to deep blue, May took her chance. Vaporeon was able to land a good Iron Tail attack underwater, after confounding Feraligatr with Agility. Feraligatr was forced to surface to try and attack Vaporeon from a different angle.

Dawn's and May's faces were full of determination. They were written with such passion that they wanted to continue further into the map – no matter how dear the consequences may be. It was like a blazing aura was emanating from them – such an aura that could only make me stand there speechless and watch them. Eventually, one of them would have to lose.

Vaporeon seemed to be blending perfectly into the deep blue water setting – because it seemed like Feraligatr couldn't find any trace of Vaporeon's movements. Vaporeon went for Whirlpool, so that the platform along with Feraligatr started to be sucked down with it. Feraligatr tried to jump as far as the whirlpool would go and dived underwater to avoid the vortex.

Ten minutes into the match, both Vaporeon and Feraligatr found themselves head-to-head in the crystal-clear setting of the pool. They exchanged fierce blows once more – landing special attacks and physical attacks one after the other, while continuing to wear out slowly.

After twelve minutes, the winner was decided. After Dawn's Feraligatr landed a Hyper Beam attack, and May's Vaporeon landed a Blizzard attack – Feraligatr threw in the towel.

"Feraligatr is unable to battle," the referee announced. "Vaporeon wins the round! The winner of this match is May of Petalburg City!"

I couldn't celebrate – though I smiled at myself for having seen such an intense battle from the both of them. It was like battling with a friend from long ago. The two girls came back to the waiting room – Dawn deeply disappointed, and May trying to cheer Dawn up. I tried to come to Dawn's comfort, but she said to just leave her alone.

"Where are you going, Dawn?" Brock asked her.

Dawn just looked around for a moment and said, "I'll be at the gym… training."

It almost seemed as if Dawn wasn't ready to accept her defeat. Maybe she was running away from frustration.

"Ash," Misty nudged me, "it's your turn already!"

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice that it was already my turn. Coincidentally, it was also KC's turn as well, but we were not going to face each other – at least.

My next opponent turned out to be a skilled Pokémon Coordinator from Canalave City in the Sinnoh region. I was going to be in a tight spot for facing a skilled coordinator. But my best tactic would be to treat this contest battle as another Pokémon battle.

"Ready," called the referee, "begin!"

I took out Wartortle, while my opponent used Mantine. This match was a one-on-one five minute match. I had to think fast to pull off an early advantage.

"Wartortle," I called, "dodge it!" Mantine had pulled off a Hydro Pump attack. Wartortle dodged the attack just in time.

"Aerial Ace!"

I had Wartortle withdraw itself in its shell. Though the Aerial Ace found its mark, Wartortle was protected by its shell. But they still took points off from mine.

The settings of the water changed from original setting to murky brown. Mantine, being a flying-type, as able to stay in the air – but only good for about thirty seconds. I had to use this to my advantage.

"Crunch attack!"

Wartortle swam through the murky water and brought Mantine down to the water by biting it. Mantine's points were deducted.

When the half-time came, the settings changed from murky brown to deep blue. Mantine blended in with the water, while I had to keep Wartortle in the surface. I switched to defense position immediately.

"Mantine, Take Down that Wartortle!"

Mantine dove up from nowhere and brought Wartortle down to the water and slammed it on the floor.

"_Oh no,_" I thought bitterly, "_if this keeps any further, I'll be losing before I know it._"

Wartortle and Mantine swiftly rose to the surface to avoid getting caught by the thirty-second limit. When I checked the board, my contest life points were a little over a half, while my opponent's contest life just had a few points over me. It was time that I would start switching to the offensive.

"Wartortle, use Skull Bash!"

Mantine, underwater, saw the approaching Wartortle, which was charging down straight at Mantine head-first.

"Mantine, grab Wartortle and Bounce up!"

Unfortunately for Wartortle, Mantine was able to get a hold of Wartortle's tail by locking its fin around it. Then Mantine shot out from the water and to the air. But as they went higher, I had another idea.

"Withdraw!"

Because Wartortle withdrew itself in its shell, Mantine lost its grip.

"Skull Bash immediately!"

Wartortle quickly popped out from its shell and charged Skull Bash at Mantine. The impact found its way on Mantine, and the both of them hit the water with a large splash. The Skull Bash pushed Mantine further down until it hit the pool floor. When Mantine surfaced, it fainted.

"Mantine is unable to battle," the referee called. "Wartortle wins the round! The winner of this match is Ash from Pallet Town!"

I really wanted to leap up and cry for joy. But I held that feeling until I would get back to the waiting room.

Back in the waiting room, the first greeting I had was from Tracey, who also handed me a letter coming from mom. I opened the envelope and read it.

_Dearest Ash,_

_I'm watching you perform in the Pokémon Contest. You're pulling off aplomb with flying colors! It even brought me tears to my eyes when I saw how you performed in the Appeal Round._

_Dawn's mother, Johanna, just arrived from the Sinnoh Region. Even she couldn't believe what she saw when you performed on stage._

_Well honey, I'm rooting for you! Just so that you know, you're the lone representative from Pallet Town! Make us proud, honey!_

_Love, Mom_

_P.S. Professor Oak and your Muk wish you regards._

I laughed when I read mom's P.S. and all I had was a picture of Muk slamming Professor Oak on the floor of the laboratory while waving a grimy hand. I decided to keep the letter as a good-luck charm for my battles ahead.

KC also came back from the match – victorious. The both of us, Misty, and May would be proceeding to round three of the Contest Battles. But I was still highly worried about Dawn. How would she react?

The third round of the contest battles started at one in the afternoon. KC and May got through round three almost easily. I had to muster my patience until my turn would come, so I decided to help myself with Brock, Tracey, and Pikachu for a while. We were having a good time chatting about anything we could talk about – life, fun, Pokémon, girls, etc. Even Tracey paid for three good banana shakes.

When it was six o' clock in the evening, the announcer came, "This will be the last match of the day. There will be no contest battles tomorrow, so that the Contest Officials can be given a day-off, and the Board can evaluate the Contest performance. The semi-finals and the finals will proceed two days from now."

The last match was about to be picked for the day. After a few seconds of electronic picking, the first panel showed.

"It's your turn, Ash," May told me.

And when the second panel showed, my heart skipped a beat. Was this some kind of computer malfunction?

"Ash versus…" KC said as she looked up at the panel screen and stood there unbelievingly, "I don't believe it…"

I looked at the two panels disbelievingly with my eyes open wide, and my mouth hanging open. It was as if I had imagined it – but never expected it to come so soon. For the first time, I couldn't think if I could survive against my next opponent. But I really had to accept that it was like this way. My next opponent for round three in the Contest Match was no other than the Cerulean City gym leader, Misty.

UH-OH!

* * *

Next chapter on Winner Takes Ash: More Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes

The moment he raised the two flags – red and green (red for Misty, and green for mine), I took out my first Pokéball. Misty took out hers as well.

"Let's bring it on, Floatzel!" I threw Floatzel's Pokéball to the pool. When the Pokéball hit the water, Floatzel sprung out of the water and spun around while ascending to the air, then descending down gracefully on the platform in the middle of the pool.

"Ash of Pallet Town decides to use his Floatzel," blared the announcer. "Floatzel is the evolved form of Buizel, the water-weasel Pokémon native to the Sinnoh region."

…

"Kingdra," Misty called. "Are you alright?"

The pool was silent for a while. Crawdaunt surfaced first from the water and got to the platform. It watched the water for any underwater movements. The crowd couldn't wait to see the outcome of the match. Even the referee could feel the adrenaline rush – in order just to raise the victorious flag. A minute passed and nothing else happened.

"Wh-What's happening," came the crowd's concerned buzzes.

"Is Kingdra really…?"

"No… that just can't be possible…"

* * *

**To be continued…**

**Existing Chapters:**

**Prologue – The Pokémon Masters**

**Chapter 1 – Face-Off**

**Chapter 2 – Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3 – Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4 – Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

**Chapter 5 – Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience**

**Chapter 6 – Forest and Poisons**

**Chapter 7 – It's A Whole New Gym Leader**

**Chapter 8 – Brock's Flashback**

**Chapter 9 – Pains of the Past**

**Chapter 10 – Petalburg Pursuit – To the Maximum!**

**Chapter 11 – Bringing Back the Young Days**

**Chapter 12 – A Little Taste of Darkness**

**Chapter 13 – Nightmares**

**Chapter 14 – A Night in the Meadows**

**Chapter 15 – The Amazing Transformation**

**Chapter 16 – Tidal Terror**

**Chapter 17 – Lost From the Tree**

**Chapter 18 – Love Fever – Stricken!**

**Chapter 19 – Three-Way Hostility**

**Chapter 20 – Detection of Infection – A Virus Like No Other!**

**Chapter 21 – A Secret of Two Trainers Unveiled**

**Chapter 22 – Contest Preparations**

**Chapter 23 – Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Oh, crap. That was a very long chapter… and I was really rushing on that one. Sorry guys. But if you have anything to ask regarding this chapter, I'll be happy to entertain them! Just don't mess it up, or I'll Hyper Beam you…

**The author does not own Pokémon, GameFreak, or any of its softwares, merchandises, etc.**

**PowerZone**


	26. Ch24: More Wet n' Wild

**CHAPTER 24: MORE LOTS AND LOTS OF WET N' WILD SHOWDOWNS AND SPLASHES**

It's not just a game… it might be more than that.

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 6) "Well," I started, "I – I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know," Dawn asked sweetly.

"It's just that," I started, "it's too hard to answer. Dawn, I know you've been sweet with me and stuff – and – and that kiss… I don't know what to answer."

(Chapter 12) "How are you feeling," I asked her.

May pulled out a little smile and answered, "I'm just fine."

"You're not worried about your dad?"

May's smile faded a little and she said, "Sometimes, I'm worried. And when I'm worried of dad, I'm also worried of you."

* * *

**STORY PROPER:**

"Ash vs. Misty," they kept on murmuring to themselves. Well, that was how it was supposed to turn out. Since we could not do anything further to decide on a re-pick, it was decided. I looked at Misty, who was beside May, and frowned. Misty seemed a bit perplexed as well, but it seemed that she had been expecting a kind of outcome. It was the deciding match for the final round. I looked at the tree and found May's, Paul's, and KC's names still on the board. None of them would go against each other… so my case would be the exception.

"Are you sure you're up to this," came a little whisper on my ear. I recognized it as Misty's.

"Anytime," I told her.

Mine and Misty's match would commence in a few minutes once the third pair would be finished with the battle. I prepared my two Pokémon to battle against Misty. Misty had heck of a roster that I could still remember – Milotic, Gyarados, Kingdra… very powerful water Pokémon… But I could still try to pull it off – if I could combine my skills with tactics and brute strength.

"Calling Ash of Pallet Town and Misty of Cerulean City to prepare for the match," came the announcement. "Your Round Three match will start in a few minutes. Please proceed to the Southwest Arena, Battlefield No. 2 for your match."

"This is it," I told Misty.

"Yeah," Misty said and nodded. "After years of not facing each other, we get to fight each other again…"

It was true. The last time I battled Misty was in a Pokémon battle somewhere in Johto. It was the time when we were battling on who got to keep the Totodile.

"Pikachu," I told my buddy, "stay with Brock, okay? You can watch me from here."

Pikachu nodded – then it hopped on Brock's shoulder.

Misty and I stepped out of the waiting room into the hallway – then we made our way to the Southwest Arena. While on the way, I watched the victory being pulled off from the trainer's Crawdawnt against his opponent's Lanturn. Now that their match was over, it was our turn.

"Misty," I said to her before we split ways to arrive at different ends of the battlefield.

"Yeah?"

"Give it all you've got," I told her.

Misty smiled and held out a hand. I took it and we shook hands.

"Let's make this a fight worth remembering," she said.

When we let go, Misty went down the left path, while I proceeded inside the arena. I made my way to the waiting room of battlefield number 2. A Contest Assistant was inside. He was expecting my arrival.

"You're Ash of Pallet Town right," the Assistant said.

"Yes," I answered him.

He turned to his schedule and said, "The match doesn't start until five minutes. So you should prepare your roster to face-off your opponent."

"Thanks."

I placed my five Pokéballs (entirely water Pokémon except for Numel) on the couch and started to decide on the two that would help me. Misty would use her Gyarados and Milotic or Kingdra. I tried to analyze their weak points, their moves, and their strengths. It took me a little while to pick my two Pokémon; but in the end, I decided to bring Crawdawnt and Floatzel. The only problem would be how to pull off victorious against Misty's Pokémon. Strength was one thing – but strategy was another.

"Your opponent is ready for the match," the Assistant said to me, "are you ready?"

I stood up from the couch and put the remaining three Pokéballs in my pocket. "I'm ready," I told the assistant. I moved towards the doorway that would lead me to the battlefield.

"Crawdawnt, Floatzel," I whispered a little prayer to my two Pokémon, "this match will be a match worth remembering." The doorway opened and I stepped out from it.

My heart pounded. I experienced a strange sort of feeling that I never had experienced when I battled trainers in the past. Perhaps it was a sinking feeling that tried to make me look back at all my achievements as a trainer. It seemed as if this match would be the product of all my training. Walking into the light under a late afternoon – the light was something that I may have recognized, yet the aura that seeped inside me made me tense and peaceful at the same time. I felt confident.

"Coming into the battlefield," blared the announcer of the arena, "is a trainer who stood out against all elements… Hailing from Pallet Town of the Kanto Region, this trainer is a force to reckon with. Raise your hands and give a mighty round of applause and help me welcome Ash Ketchum!"

The battlefield was also the same like the one I battled in this morning. The people in the stands were cheering and yelling as I stepped into my post in the battlefield. I waved my hands – only for a short while… before I put them down… and waited for Misty to come out.

"And introducing his opponent," blared the announcer once more, "the pride of Cerulean City… a trainer who brings out battles in flair and style… a trainer who makes all memories worthwhile. Help me welcome with a round of applause – the Cerulean City gym leader, Misty!"

Misty stepped into the battlefield and waved around all the people in the stands, who were also jeering and applauding. And because Misty was the popular trainer in the hometown, the arena was packed with people… approximately five-thousand came to gather and witness a match that would be one heck of an adventure everyone would never forget.

The referee spoke through his lapel, "This match is a two-Pokémon singular pit battle. There will be no time limit and no substitutions in any form whatsoever. Each trainer is to use water Pokémon only. The moves of their designated water Pokémon may be anything. A Pokémon will be declared unable to battle under the following conditions: if it faints, if it refuses to battle, or if it violates the accepted rules of the contest. The match ends when both Pokémon of a trainer are unable to battle." He cleared his throat and continued, "If both trainers are ready, then let the match begin!"

The moment he raised the two flags – red and green (red for Misty, and green for mine), I took out my first Pokéball. Misty took out hers as well.

"Let's bring it on, Floatzel!" I threw Floatzel's Pokéball to the pool. When the Pokéball hit the water, Floatzel sprung out of the water and spun around while ascending to the air, then descending down gracefully on the platform in the middle of the pool.

"Ash of Pallet Town decides to use his Floatzel," blared the announcer. "Floatzel is the evolved form of Buizel, the water-weasel Pokémon native to the Sinnoh region."

Misty threw her Pokéball to the battlefield. "Hit the stage, Gyarados."

When Misty's Pokéball landed and descended on the water, a small flash occurred on where the Pokéball landed. Suddenly, a pillar of water rose from the pool – then Gyarados sprung up from the pillar and roared. The roar echoed around the arena and brought a few chills to the spectators.

"Misty of Cerulean City decides to use Gyarados, a hard to control yet very powerful Pokémon," said the announcer.

"Floatzel and Gyarados," the referee spoke through his lapels, "begin!"

"The quickest one goes first," I thought. Then I commanded, "Floatzel, start off with your Quick Attack!"

Floatzel went off the platform then started dashing on the pool and around Gyarados.

"Floatzel's intense speed is its defining factor," said the announcer, "it seems that Ash is using speed as a part of his starting strategy."

Misty called, "Gyarados, keep track on Floatzel and use Flamethrower!"

Gyarados tried to stay focused on Floatzel's tracks as it spurted out jets of flame on the predictable paths.

"Evade it!"

Floatzel was able to see the burst of flame come at the path it was taking. It swiftly stopped and started rushing the other way – just in time before the jet of fire hit the water. Floatzel went around the platform once more.

"Quick Attack!"

Gyarados did not have enough time to turn it head the other way. BAM! Floatzel landed the first blow.

"Floatzel's amazing speed and incredible dodge ability made it land the first hit," said the announcer. "It would seem as if Gyarados would not have to stay in one place to deal damage."

"Gyarados," Misty called, "start moving around the water!"

Gyarados dove head-first into the water then swiveled through the pool serpent-like. Gyarados swiveled side to side to track Floatzel's directions – in hope that it would stop Floatzel in its tracks. But that wouldn't happen.

"Get ready," I called.

Floatzel saw Gyarados fast approaching it.

"Dragon Rage, now," Misty called.

Gyarados's head rose above the water then it shot a green stream at Floatzel. It was like slow-motion. The green stream that spurted from Gyarados's mouth would've hit Floatzel at the precise moment. And just at the last second… WHAM! Floatzel swiftly sidestepped the attack and went past Gyarados.

"What the heck…" Misty grumbled.

"Aqua Jet, now," I called.

Floatzel stopped for a moment then went back to deal some more damage. When it did so, it was as if Floatzel just disappeared before everyone's eyes. But streams of water fast approached Gyarados – and it did not have time to see it. BAM! Floatzel did some more damage on Gyarados.

"Incredible," the announcer said excitedly, "it's like we're watching a movie at high-speed! We need the viewers to see that one again in slow-motion!"

"I must remember not to keep this up," I said to myself. "Sometime, Misty might pull a fast one on me." I told Floatzel to get back to the platform and try to recover from the tension. At the same time, Gyarados recovered from that high-speed attack.

"Gyarados, Leer!"

Gyarados leered at Floatzel. Floatzel coiled in fright, having been leered from such an atrocious Pokémon.

"_Speed is Floatzel's defining factor, but defense is its disadvantage,_" I thought. "_I must be careful not to overuse Floatzel's speed so that it won't suffer too much damage._"

"Floatzel," I called, "take a swim in the water!"

Floatzel dove into the water. It swam around gracefully like an athlete.

"Are you ready, Gyarados," Misty called. Gyarados let out a soft roar. "Let's take a good swim!"

Gyarados dove underwater.

The two Pokémon swam underwater and went around in a circular rotation. Every few seconds that passed, they started to pick up a little more speed.

"Leap up the water and use Slash," I called.

"Leap up the water and use your Screech," Misty called.

In unison, the two Pokémon rose out from the water and gained at each other from opposite sides. They maneuvered their attacks over the central platform. Gyarados's Screech came first, but Floatzel dodged it. Floatzel aimed a Slash attack for Gyarados's belly, but it didn't want to risk getting hit by its tail. The two Pokémon went past each other and landed on the water opposite where they dove out. When the two of them landed, they dove again on circular motion.

After a few seconds of moving around the water, the two of them dove up again but continued to leap through the air in a circular rotation.

"Hydro Pump!"

"Hyper Beam!"

Floatzel squirted a strong jet of water towards Gyarados, while Gyarados shot out a searing beam towards Floatzel. The two attacks met in mid-air and exploded. Floatzel and Gyarados dove back into the water and continued to swim around.

"Leap up," Misty and I called at the same time. As a result, Floatzel and Gyarados dove up the water and gained on each other from opposite sides.

"Dragon Rage," Misty called.

Gyarados opened its mouth and attempted to exert a strong green jet at Floatzel. Gyarados and Floatzel were close to each other now.

"Heh," Misty said in glee, "at this rate, Floatzel has no chance of dodging now it's in the air."

"Quick Attack," I called.

"Wh-What!?!"

Floatzel dashed suddenly in mid-air and struck Gyarados. The Dragon Rage was cancelled. Gyarados landed back in the water with a huge splash that reached the lower areas of the spectator stands. Floatzel landed on the central platform.

"Oh wow, wow, wow," the announcer said excitedly, "that few turns were a series of moves – power and style combined and pulling aplomb! It's almost as if the two Pokémon are cooperating unconsciously with each other!"

"Floatzel's too quick to get hit by any attacks," I thought. "But if it keeps on running around, it'll tire quickly." Then I called to Floatzel, "Stay there Floatzel!"

"My chance," Misty said. Then she called, "Gyarados, Hydro Pump under the platform!"

Gyarados, which was still underwater, fired a strong jet of water that pressurized the water levels. This caused the platform to rise slowly at first, but the Hydro Pump picked up intensity, then the platform along with Floatzel rose higher into the air. When Floatzel and the platform were some seventy feet in the air, the platform broke due to the air and water pressure. Floatzel had nowhere to land on… except take the risk of facing Gyarados head-on.

"Floatzel," I called up in the air, "give it some intensity!"

Floatzel went down the air like a comet streak.

"Gyarados, Hyper Beam!"

And while Floatzel was doing so, Gyarados surfaced from the water and shot its Hyper Beam attack straight at Floatzel. The Hyper Beam and Floatzel were about to go against each other one-on-one.

"Give it a spin," I called, "and use Aqua Jet!"

Floatzel whirled around repeatedly while gaining on the Hyper Beam.

BAM!

"Whoa," came the spectators' perplexed reactions.

Floatzel dove _directly_ in the Hyper Beam. Misty herself also seemed surprised about the daring move. It was a quick risk, actually. But I recalled it actually from one of the tactics I pulled up for the win against one of the frontier brains.

BAM!

Floatzel's combined water power plus the Hyper Beam power dealt immense damage to Gyarados… after some three seconds of direct contact, a small explosion occurred and a veil of smoke shrouded the both of them. When it cleared, the decision came.

"Floatzel is unable to battle," called the referee.

Floatzel's eyes were swirled as it was floating on the water. Gyarados seemed very tired already.

"Ash's Floatzel seemed to have suffered immense damage from that last attack," called the announcer. "But as things currently stand, the last attack also seemed to have worn much of Gyarados. So what will Ash use next?"

I took out my Pokéball and returned Floatzel. I seemed a bit disappointed that Gyarados didn't go down with Floatzel. "You did great out there," I told Floatzel in its Pokéball, "you need to rest now." I pocketed Floatzel's Pokéball and prepared my next one – my final one, since it was a two-on-two.

"This is a battle worth remembering," I said to myself one more time, and then I threw the next Pokéball to the battlefield. "Let's rock n' roll, Crawdawnt!" The Pokéball popped open and Crawdawnt came out – its pincers waved high. Crawdawnt took a quick dip into the water then surfaced.

"Ash decides to use his Crawdawnt, a feisty but powerful Pokémon – native to the Hoenn region and the evolved form of Corphish," said the announcer.

"Ash," Misty called.

"Yeah," I called back.

"Make this battle worth remembering for years to come."

I replied with a thumbs-up.

"Gyarados versus Crawdawnt," said the referee, "begin!"

"Gyarados," Misty called, "Flamethrower!"

"Harden," I called.

Gyarados shot a stream of fire towards Crawdawnt. But Crawdawnt stiffened itself from the incoming attack. The fire did very little damage.

"This was just a warm-up," Misty said. Then she called out, "Gyarados, Dragon Rage!"

"Dive underwater," I called.

Just before the Dragon Rage attack would hit Crawdawnt, Crawdawnt went underwater. It would almost seem as if Gyarados was wasting all its energy in just attempting to hit Crawdawnt.

"Guillotine," I called.

From out of nowhere in the water, Crawdawnt surfaced and rushed quickly at Gyarados. Gyarados, because of exhaustion, had little time to react. Crawdawnt's mighty pincer caught Gyarados's weak point in its belly. When Crawdawnt landed on the water behind Gyarados, the atrocious Pokémon fell down to the water with a big splash.

"Gyarados is unable to battle," declared the referee.

"Guillotine, a one-hit KO move, is a move better used early in the match," said the referee. "But as the Pokémon wears out, this move becomes ineffective."

Misty returned Gyarados to its Pokéball and pocketed it. She took out her next one and threw it to the battlefield. "Kingdra, you're on!" Misty's Pokéball popped open and her powerhouse, Kingdra, came into the battlefield.

"Misty of Cerulean City decides to use her Kingdra," came the announcer. "Kingdra is exceptionally and incredibly swift in water. If Ash and Crawdawnt are not careful in predicting where Kingdra may attack, then it may prove disadvantageous to the both of them."

Kingdra and Crawdawnt faced each other in the battlefield for a moment, before the referee announced, "Kingdra and Crawdawnt, begin!"

"Dragon Pulse," Misty called.

"Crawdawnt, dive underwater!"

Kingdra, being a dragon-type Pokémon, launched its first move: Dragon Pulse. Dragon Pulse was a wicked attack – it could deal incredible damage, if only it would reach its opponent just in time. However, Crawdawnt avoided it easily by simply diving underwater. When the Dragon Pulse faded, Kingdra followed Crawdawnt underwater.

"Double Edge," Misty called.

"Harden," I called out.

Underwater, Misty's Kindgra started speeding towards Crawdawnt. But before the damage could be done, Crawdawnt had already stiffened itself. WHAM! Of course, Crawdawnt suffered some damage, and Kingdra also did so from the recoil attack. I figured out something… maybe I should concentrate on Crawdawnt's defense before launching any attack moves.

"_Crawdawnt's defense has to make up for the priority,_" I thought. "_If I get in a tight spot, I can still figure a way out of it._"

"Let's make this battle a bit rougher," Misty called.

Rougher? What did she mean by that?

"Whirlpool immediately!"

Because the two of them were underwater, Kingdra's Whirlpool would cover most of Crawdawnt's area.

"Crawdawnt, get to the other platform!"

Crawdawnt made a dash to the surface. It was able to escape the Whirlpool's line of fire. It got out of the water and leapt to the platform in the other side of the pool. Once Crawdawnt got to the platform, Kingdra, having failed its attack, surfaced from the water. I had to admit, things were getting rougher. Maybe I had to do something to make Kingdra launch lots of attacks to wear it out. But then again, Crawdawnt would wear out just to dodge and avoid them.

"Now that's one battle that we have to witness," the announcer said excitedly. "If we want to witness some power and brawns just like in the 'Master Brawler' show, then we have it here!"

There was no time to hesitate to think of anything. "Crawdawnt," I called, "dive back into the water!"

Kingdra and Crawdawnt faced each other once more underwater. There were underwater cameras, so everyone in the arena could see the underwater action.

Moves that were launched underwater seemed to have very little effect against each other. Kingdra's defining factor was its speed, while Crawdawnt's defining factor was its defense. Minutes passed, and the two of them couldn't fix very good targets. It seemed that they were both just dodging and attacking then dodging and attacking. Maybe I had to plan a different tactic from another angle.

At some point, I made it a habit to feel the intensity of the battle. Misty and I were giving everything we've got. Our years of hard training all brought down to this battle – the fated battle that we seemed to expect, but not in this kind of manner that would've come too soon. The two of them wore out in every move they launched. I just prayed that Crawdawnt would stay on.

Forty-eight minutes into the match, Kingdra and Crawdawnt hesitated for the first time as they watched each other underwater.

"Kingdra," Misty called, "use your Hyper Beam!"

Underwater, Kingdra shot out its fifth Hyper Beam attack from its mouth that sped through the water.

"Vicegrip," I called, "and do it at the perfect time!"

Crawdawnt sped forward to face the Hyper Beam.

"Whoa," Misty said, "you've got some nerve." Then she called to her Kingdra, "Make it full blast Hyper Beam!" Kingdra was very well-trained. It would take more than a full-blast Hyper Beam to wear it out.

And as hundreds of spectators watched the underwater view through the large screen, they became awed at the next part of events. Crawdawnt perfectly caught the Hyper Beam in its two claws. But since the full blast knocked it backward slowly, Crawdawnt's Vicegrip weakened. I had to think fast.

"Swords Dance!"

Crawdawnt, while blocking the Hyper Beam attack, spun around in place while keeping the claws holding the Hyper Beam intact. Swords Dance attack was not to raise attack power in this kind of situation, but I let Crawdawnt use it to jet through the water – in hopes to return the Hyper Beam back at Kingdra.

But something else happened…

Similar to what happened to Floatzel when it was battling Gyarados in the first round, the Hyper Beam suddenly gave way and then shot forward – but Crawdawnt was lost in it.

"Hang in there and keep moving," I called.

It was the product of persistence – whether Crawdawnt could simply survive from a full-blast Hyper Beam or the full-blast was already at its own maximum power. I turned to the large screen to see what was happening. What I saw made everyone in the arena, even me, surprised with mouths gaping open at the shock of what the two Pokémon were doing.

Crawdawnt, having been commanded Swords Dance attack earlier, broke through the Hyper Beam, tore it apart, and shot forward towards Kingdra while spinning rapidly and its claws going head-on. Kingdra, probably stunned from what it saw, did not have time to dodge the incoming attack. BAM!

At the next second, Kingdra shot out from the water and was on the air, ten feet, then twenty feet, then slowing down at thirty feet. Crawdawnt was in pursuit of its tracks. And when Kingdra and Crawdawnt started descending, the two of them were leveled in each other.

"Perfect timing," I thought. Then I called out, "Guillotine!"

Crawdawnt exerted a lot of effort in preparing its one-hit KO attack. Its two pincers caught Kingdra's neck. "_Perfect,_" I thought. "_If the two of them land on the water with a large splash, the battle is over._" Twenty feet, then ten feet, then five feet only… the intensity sped up in everyone the more feet they fell.

SPLASH! The two of them landed on the water with a large splash. Crawdawnt's Guillotine attack would work perfect when it would slam Kingdra to the pool floor. The underwater cameras showed that the two of them were descending to the pool floor at a fast rate. But what made me more worried was that Misty was not doing anything. Could it be… that Misty already planned something and figured out that this tactic would come?

BANG! There was a large explosion that came from the pool floor. Had the Guillotine succeeded? Was I finally victorious? Or did Misty still have a fighting chance? All of the answers would have to be revealed in a few seconds, when the two of them would surface back to the water.

"Did Ash of Pallet Town finally deal the final blow?" the announcer said in an intensity-building tone. "Or did Kingdra make any pullbacks from that attack? Let's see what happens when Kingdra rises to the surface!"

"Kingdra," Misty called. "Are you alright?"

The pool was silent for a while. Crawdawnt surfaced first from the water and got to the platform. It watched the water for any underwater movements. The crowd couldn't wait to see the outcome of the match. Even the referee could feel the adrenaline rush – in order just to raise the victorious flag. A minute passed and nothing else happened.

"Wh-What's happening," came the crowd's concerned buzzes.

"Is Kingdra really…?"

"No… that just can't be possible…"

Then I suddenly began to have doubts. Was the Guillotine too strong? Did it really occur that the attack was not only in an attempt to make Kingdra faint? Did the attack do something else that would make it in a condition even worse than fainting?

"We better switch to the underwater cameras to see where Kingdra is," the announcer called.

The screens switched to underwater mode. They caught Kingdra – it was surfacing to the water. It seemed to have been fainted, the manner it was rising slowly into the water with its back to the pool floor. Now we all waited for Kingdra to surface. And when it came…

"Kingdra is unable to…"

POOF! In front of everyone's eyes, Kingdra disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Wh-what!?!" I yelled. I looked around for a while, then I figured out the trick. But since the trick was fool-proof, I couldn't think of ways to counterattack.

"Hyper Beam below you, quickly," I called. It just clicked in my mind to use this attack.

Crawdawnt, without realizing what it was supposed to do, launched a Hyper Beam attack to the floor. The purpose of the Hyper Beam was not to deal any damage to the platform, but to go high up in the air. I remember this as a winning tactic against one of my Frontier Battles. Crawdawnt was already high enough in the air so it stopped launching any attacks. Now, I had to focus where Misty's Kingdra would be.

"_Kingdra is hiding in purpose,_" I thought as one of the possible alternatives. "_The moment Crawdawnt launched forward for a Guillotine attack, Kingdra might've done Double Team already._" This could mean that the real Kingdra was still on the air – after three minutes since launching up from the water. I quickly turned to the screen where they displayed Crawdawnt high up in the air. Something in the screen made me notice something.

"Rain shower…?"

That's when I realized it.

"Kingdra," Misty called suddenly, "Ice Beam on the air!"

From out of nowhere, Kingdra in mid-air appeared suddenly and exerted a strong ice beam towards Crawdawnt. The impossibility suddenly became possible. Misty's Kingdra was able to levitate in the air using the Hyper Beam it had been inflicted upon and combining it with some Hydro Pumps to keep it afloat. Crawdawnt saw this one coming.

"Bubblebeam," I called.

Crawdawnt shot out streams of bubbles from its pincers and aimed it at the incoming Ice Beam attack. Its original purpose was to freeze the ice so that it could ride on it. But I had to launch this attack perfectly before Kingdra, Crawdawnt, and the frozen ice could land on the water.

The three objects twenty feet up in the air started descending down to the water.

"Dragon Pulse, one more time," Misty called.

"Guillotine," I called, "and make it count!"

Crawdawnt, on the frozen ice, raised its pincers for another heavy blow. And while it was getting ready, Kingdra launched another purple flame from its mouth and blasted it towards Crawdawnt.

"Fire!"

The Guillotine attack, being a one-hit attack, tore through the Dragon Pulse and suddenly found its way to Kingdra.

"Wh-What the…?"

Crawdawnt's left pincer was around Kingdra's neck, and the right one was closing Kingdra's mouth.

"Give it a Swords Dance!"

And while the two of them were descending to the water at a relatively fast pace, Crawdawnt started twirling in the air – with Kingdra locked in its two pincers. If the Guillotine counted, this match would be over. But if it were another Double Team, then I would have to find another way.

SPLASH!

I quickly turned to the large screen where they displayed the underwater view. Crawdawnt slammed Kingdra to the pool floor with a large thud then it quickly rose to the surface. Crawdawnt surfaced near the platform and hopped on it.

A few seconds later, Kingdra did so too… and its eyes were swirling.

"Kingdra is unable to battle," the referee announced. "Crawdawnt wins the match. The winner of this match is Ash from Pallet Town!"

Did I really do it? The cheers that shrieked in the early evening sky could only mean that it was over. Crawdawnt was dancing and trotting victoriously in the platform, while Misty, defeated, returned her Kingdra. Was it a battle worth remembering? Was it a battle with memories that had to be well-kept? I could only see Misty raise a thumbs-up in the air towards me. Somehow, I just had to return it back.

"Ash of Pallet Town proceeds to the Fourth Match of Round Three of the Aqua-palooza Water Pokémon Contest!" called the announcer. "Our very own gym leader, Misty, has accepted the defeat and is doing so with a thumbs-up."

Somehow, I just can't help myself but feel how Misty was feeling. Was she really celebrating for my victory? Or was it a tolling bell of silence that she could just hide it from everyone? It was the last match of the day, for the next match would take in two days time. Tomorrow was a rest day for the Contest Officials, the Coordinators, and the Trainers. It had to be an event worth remembering. Crawdawnt and I left the arena and back to the main waiting room, where a jeering crowd would be waiting.

"This is party," Brock yelled.

"I have to agree," even the defeated Misty had left her hopes in herself, "it was really a battle worth remembering." She sipped her orange soda and put the glass on the table. "But I didn't expect that battle to be a bit too intense."

"It had to be intense all right," Brock said. He looked at May and said to Misty, "May was really in a tight spot… she didn't know who she was supposed to be cheering for."

When the match had ended, we decided to have a little party in Misty's home. Everyone was there, except for Dawn, who was endlessly training her Empoleon in the gym. Dawn had gone back to the gym after she lost the match against May that day. Tracey had checked the gym and confirmed that Dawn was still there. We felt a bit worried that Dawn might have some hard feelings, but May just said kindly to leave her alone. Dawn had always wanted to come out the champion in every contest. But then again, there were a hundred other persistent competitors.

"That was wicked," KC said. "You really done yourself this time, big brother!"

I just felt like I wanted to laugh and celebrate all night long. Of all the people who were her in Misty's home, KC was the happiest. "_It's kinda sweet to have a little sister,_" I said to myself as I watched KC trot happily around the place like a schoolgirl.

I checked my Pokémon Navigator and went to the special extras section, entitled Aqua Palooza Water Pokémon Contest. When I got to the standing tree, I checked to see who my next opponent was. My next opponent was a skilled Pokémon Coordinator from Lavaridge Town in the Hoenn Region.

"Well," Tracey called out to everyone gathered in the living room, "three cheers to those who made through the Third Round, and an extra one to the… um…"

"… short of victory?" Brock suggested.

"That should be okay," Tracey whispered. Then he cleared his throat, "Well, cheers!"

Five bottles of sodas with a grand dinner and scrumptious desserts, all prepared by Professor Oak and my mother, were all what we had to jumpstart the night. Professor Oak had to go back to the laboratory to ensure the safety, while mom decided to come and spend the night with us. Mom and KC had most of the time doing a heart-to-heart talk. Tracey was using his Marill to create a bubbly effect everywhere. Misty and her sisters were in one corner, talking non-stop to themselves. For some reason, May fell suddenly silent.

"Um," I said to her, hoping to keep her company, "are you alright?"

May just looked at me and smiled narrowly. "Yeah, I'm alright. Don't worry about me."

"Come on," I persuaded her, "you should join the fun. After all, you're one of the victors in this round."

May nodded. Then very suddenly, she went out of the living room and started moving up the stairs. I figured that she might be going to the second floor patio – since her room was in the first floor.

"Where are you going," I called out and followed May.

Sure enough, May was in the patio. She seemed to wear some worry to herself.

"Why did you follow me," she said, almost demandingly.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"I said I was fine," May snapped. Though I felt contented from today, there were still some things missing that would make this day the best one in my life. And now, I was here…

"Let me guess," I said. It took me a little while for me to come to a conclusion from today's events, "You're worried that we might face each other in the next match. Is that what you're worrying about?"

May gasped. It seemed I was correct. "Y-Yes…"

I chuckled silently and approached May, who was leaning against the wall of the patio. "That shouldn't be so hard to bear," I told her. "If we do face each other in the next match, it'll be one heck of a battle worth remembering." May turned the other way to avoid my gaze.

"B-But, if we really do… one of us has to win," she said worriedly.

"The Pokémon Master never always wins," I reassured her. "It's a matter of giving what you've got." I went to the other side so I could see May. "You don't have to worry so much, May. We've faced each other before in Pokémon Contests, right?"

May looked up suddenly. "Y-Yeah…" But then she looked down once more and clasped her hands together, "but this is no ordinary contest… this is a prestigious one – where the best of the best water Pokémon trainers and coordinators come and gather."

I lifted her chin up to my level. "But you scored nine points higher than me in the First Round. I can pretty say you're exceptional." That was true, for my contest styles were well, but not really exceptional like that of a coordinator. I only scored 86.34 while May had scored 95.12. "Remember what I said in the press conference a week ago before the start of the Pokémon Contest? Contest battles and Pokémon battles are similar – if you can combine them in whichever battle you may be, then you can have the exceptional possibility of winning."

May still stayed silent.

"So what do you say," I said to her.

May, still not looking up, pulled a smile.

"Ash," she said, "I think I feel… like… I can battle you anytime."

I could feel her intensity flaring up. "That's the spirit," I told her. "Whoever your opponent might be in the next match, give it everything you've got. Don't let all those ribbons go to waste."

We looked at each other for a moment. What if fate really brought us together to a point where one battle would decide the outcome for the rest of our lives? What it that happened to me and May? If it did, I just wanted to make it a battle worth remembering. May smiled, and I could only smile at myself, "_Job well done…_" But what May did next was something I would not ever want to forgive myself for doing so. She just leaned it towards me, planted a soft kiss in the cheek, and wrapped her arms around my chest.

"May…"

I could help the feeling… this irresistible feeling. But it seemed to have dawned on me that my purpose was to find the person that I would be forever. Could it be May? It only depended on the weight of how destiny chose its outcome. But right now, I just had to embrace her like I did when we were back in Petalburg City (Chapter 10). But this time, I let a tear run down my cheek and on to her shoulder.

"Let's say we go back to the party," I said to her.

"Sure thing," she said excitedly.

Without letting go of each other's hands, we walked out of the patio and back into Misty's home to continue with the party. I guess the best thing would be for the night to slip away.

GET READY FOR THE FOURTH MATCH OF ROUND THREE!

* * *

Next chapter on Winner Takes Ash: Still More Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes

Watching May face off against Carmen from Petalburg City in the screen from the waiting room made the adrenaline rush up my stomach to all parts of the body. It seemed to give some sort of pumping that made me glued to the action every second. May's Vaporeon did exceptionally well in manipulating its attacks underwater and over the water. It was able to finish the first part of the match in under ten minutes. When Carmen's first Pokémon was unable to battle, Brock, Dawn, KC, Misty, and I cheered. While they were discussing about the exceptionality of the first part of the match, I said silently to myself, "_You gave it everything. Now do better this time._"

…

"You can do it, KC," I told her. "Just focus on the match, and you'll fine."

Before KC stepped out of the waiting room, she looked back to the group and waved a thumbs-up at all of us. Then she ran out from the waiting room and into the direction of the Northeast Arena. Now I just had to wait to see how little sis would pull up against an old rival of mine.

**TO BE CONTINUED…

* * *

****Existing chapters:**

**Prologue: The Pokémon Masters**

**Chapter 1: Face-Off**

**Chapter 2: Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3: Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4: Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

**Chapter 5: Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience**

**Chapter 6: Forest and Poisons**

**Chapter 7: It's A Whole New Gym Leader**

**Chapter 8: Brock's Flashback**

**Chapter 9: Pains of the Past**

**Chapter 10: Petalburg Pursuit – To the Maximum!**

**Chapter 11: Bringing Back the Young Days**

**Chapter 12: A Little Taste of Darkness**

**Chapter 13: Nightmares**

**Chapter 14: A Night in the Meadows**

**Chapter 15: The Amazing Transformation**

**Chapter 16: Tidal Terror**

**Chapter 17: Lost From the Tree**

**Chapter 18: Love Fever – Stricken!**

**Chapter 19: Three-Way Hostility**

**Chapter 20: Detection of Infection – A Virus Like No Other!**

**Chapter 21: A Secret of Two Trainers Unveiled**

**Chapter 22: Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 23: More Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes

* * *

****AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Hmm… it really took me some time to bring two new chapters to light, but I'm really getting bad at the gushy stuff. I don't really have much dedications to put, but I just want to wish all the fanfiction writers all the best for putting their hearts into writing their story. Anyway, if you've already read the preview of the second novel of Winner Takes Ash, entitled Winner Takes Ash: Resurrections, then I hope you will wait for it. You can find the preview located in my profile.

**PowerZone**


	27. Ch25: Still More Wet n' Wild

**CHAPTER 25: STILL MORE LOTS AND LOTS OF WET N' WILD SHOWDOWNS AND SPLASHES**

Bring on the splash and one heck of a good time! It all boils down to those who are worthy and exceptional!

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 22) "Oh Ash," he said, "this Wartortle's been looking for you."

"Wartortle?" I wondered. I looked down at Wartortle, who seemed to give me a hopeful smile. I gazed onto it for a moment – and then something just clicked on my mind. I remember having a conversation with Professor Oak a long while ago and he told me that my Squirtle evolved. So maybe… "Squirtle?"

As proof enough, Wartortle pulled out a pair of sunglasses from its shell and wore it. The Wartortle before me was indeed my old buddy.

(Chapter 23) "Ash decides to use his Floatzel," came the commentary, "a water Pokémon native to the Sinnoh region. Known for it speed and power, Floatzel can be handy Pokémon, and when well trained, can even become a contest powerhouse!"

I had no time to waste. Ten seconds already passed in Floatzel's entrance.

"Let's start off with a good Bubblebeam!"

* * *

**STORY PROPER:**

**PART 1 – WATER GO FOR THE K.O.!**

Round 4 of the Contest Battles – the semi-finals went under way. May, KC, and I were the ones among the seven original participants who made it this far. Most of the battles would be triple-threat matches and time-limited, said so the announcer. All the matches took place in the main arena, so that there wouldn't be any time delays in starting the matches.

KC was picked quickly into the semi-finals. Her opponents were from Goldenrod City and Solaceon Town. May and I wished KC good luck, and she stepped out of the waiting room and into the battlefield.

"I'm really nervous," May said.

"You can't give up now," I told May. "We've already come this far."

Perhaps May was still worried that we might face each other in this round. All I could do now was ease her fears and watch KC perform in her semi-final matches.

"There goes KC," I told May.

The two of us watched in one of the panel screens the match. It was a one-on-one-on-one ten-minute battle.

KC sent out her Pelipper, while her two other opponents used Lanturn and Qwilfish. I became slightly worried – because Pelipper is highly prone to Lanturn's electric attacks.

KC's Pelipper was quite swift in the air. Even Lanturn's electric attacks couldn't seem to find their mark on Pelipper. Pelipper seemed to be targeting Qwilfish – and it landed a Steel Wing attack.

"What's going on," came Brock's voice from where May and I stood. We turned around and found Brock and Tracey coming towards us.

"KC seems to be in a big disadvantage," May said.

I nodded, but added, "but she's doing whatever she can for Pelipper not to get hit."

We watched KC's match for about two minutes – when something else happened. Pelipper was hit by an incoming Thunderbolt attack after being baited by Qwilfish. Fortunately, KC's Pelipper used Steel Wing on the platform to absorb the electric damage and return the electricity to the water, where Qwilfish and Lanturn were. However, Lanturn absorbed the returned electricity because of its Volt Absorb ability, while Qwilfish barely escaped the discharge. Qwilfish's and Lanturn's contest life points were given numerous amount of deduction.

The settings of the pool quickly changed from normal setting to deep blue setting. Lanturn and Qwilfish quickly blended with the setting. However, KC noticed something.

"Every time Lanturn is about to shoot out an electric attack," Tracey explained, "the orbs light up. So even if Pelipper is in the air, it will be able to see where Lanturn is."

From the overhead cameras, we could see a small speck of light in the pool. KC had Pelipper dive quickly underwater. After seconds of the underwater assault, Pelipper and Lanturn rose out of the water. Pelipper quickly landed a Steel Wing attack to distract Lanturn's attack.

But that was not over – for Qwilfish came from out of nowhere and hit Pelipper with Poison Sting. Lanturn and Pelipper's contest life points decreased.

At about a minute left before time-up, the settings of the pool changed from deep blue to murky brown. Lanturn was forced to go on the platform, while KC's Pelipper had to fly about. Qwilfish, however, dove into the murky water.

"I guess it wants to land a surprise attack," Brock said. "After all, Pelipper or Lanturn can't see what's below the murky waters."

A few seconds later, Lanturn discharged the murky water to lure Qwilfish out of the water, while KC's Pelipper got ready to land another attack. However, the electric attack did not do any good to lure Qwilfish out.

Qwilfish had to get out of the water to avoid getting the thirty-second underwater penalty. Qwilfish just took a quick dip from the water and dove back in it. Lanturn, on the other hand, dove underwater to search for Qwilfish.

The screen in the waiting room turned to the underwater cameras. The water was murky, but there was little visibility. Lanturn was emitting its light from the orbs. Out from nowhere, Qwilfish was charging straight at it.

And then, KC's Pelipper dove in directly and landed a Wing Attack directly at Qwilfish.

"Whoa," May said, "that was unexpected."

"Maybe Lanturn and Pelipper are helping," I said to May. "Lanturn might've used a signal. If Qwilfish could be definitely lured by the light, Pelipper would also do so too."

Qwilfish surfaced from the pool and fainted.

Lanturn, however, discharged some more electricity and electrified Pelipper in it. Pelipper surfaced from the pool and also fainted.

"Oh no," I muttered under my breath.

KC was standing in her place and couldn't believe it. She lost.

"That was a bad call," May said worriedly.

KC returned to the waiting room – frustrated. She looked up at us for a moment, and tried to speak. But the words caught her and she found herself unable to say anything.

"It's okay," I said to her and embraced her. "You don't have to be so down on yourself." KC's loss only meant one thing to me: that the semi-finals was getting rougher. I had to be prepared – I had to be focused.

The semi-finals seemed to go rather quickly. Even May couldn't believe how tough it was when she was placed in a tight spot. Her Lumineon was pinpointed by the two other Pokémon. She didn't have enough time to hesitate – because there were only two minutes left. However, she still had the upper advantage in the contest life points – thanks to Lumineon's dodging speed and the use of its Aqua Ring.

Her Lumineon was able to knock down the Azumarill – after failing in its Rollout attack.

At thirty seconds remaining, May forced her Lumineon to go all out on the remaining Walrein. Lumineon shot its Hydro Pump while Walrein used its Ice Beam attack. Because neither attack was unable to push back the other, both of their contest life points slowly decreased. They had nothing to lose.

"Full power," May called.

May's Lumineon added more power to its Hydro Pump. Slowly, the Ice Beam backed to Walrein. Walrein saw the attack's ineffectiveness and was also forced to strengthen its Ice Beam.

Then suddenly…

The two attacks fused together in the center and started shooting back towards the two Pokémon. The combined power of the Hydro Pump and the Ice Beam hit both Walrein and Lumineon.

"Split-power," Brock said, "the fusion of two ranged attacks that endure one after the other force themselves to shoot back at the Pokémon that fired the attacks."

Lumineon and Walrein were knocked into the water, but they still surfaced. And just at that moment, the whistle sounded.

We watched the results of the match – and found out that May's points were lower than that of her opponent's. As a result – May lost the match. We were extremely disappointed that even the coordinators in our group couldn't proceed on to the final ten. And come to think of it… it was only me remaining. May ended up in tears – almost like that time when she lost the Grand Festival in the Indigo Plateau.

"Ash of Pallet Town and Drew of LaRousse City," came the announcement, "please prepare for your next match."

My next opponent – Drew!

"This looks a bit grim," May said.

Grim or not – I had to accept any consequence that might come my way. I stood up from the couch and placed Pikachu in Brock's care. Tracey said something about keeping my cool. Was I angry – was I supposed to be taking some revenge on the ones who've lost? No, this was not like me at all.

"Stepping up into the platform," came the commentary that echoed across the main arena, "is a young trainer full of determination – the Sinnoh Conference Champion and the current Orange Island League Champion. Help me welcome, the passionate flair, Ash of Pallet Town!" Following the introduction, cheers echoed everywhere – cheers rooting for me, as I stepped into the platform.

"And introducing his opponent," said the commentary, "from LaRousse City – the awe-inspiring veteran Coordinator of the Hoenn Region – a coordinator who shows that nothing is impossible even in tight situations. Ladies and gentlemen, help me welcome into the stage – Drew of LaRousse City!" I watched Drew step into the platform opposite me across the pool as he waved a hand high to the audience.

When the cheers started dying down, the referee came into position and spoke through his lapels.

"Here are the rules affixed for this match," the referee spoke through his lapels. "This Contest Battle will be a one-on-one ten-minute battle. The match is over if it meets one of the conditions: either Pokémon faints, either Pokémon surrenders, the contest points of either Pokémon drain to zero, the time is up, or if a Pokémon or its trainer violate in heavy regulations the rules affixed by the Contest. The winner of the match is determined if one Pokémon still stands within ten minutes, or at the end of ten minutes – the Pokémon with the most contest life points met." He prepared the two flags (red for me, green for Drew) and raised them slowly. "Trainers, at the wave of the flag, the time will start." After a few seconds, he raised both of the flags upward. "Begin!"

"Floatzel," I called on as I threw Floatzel's Pokéball to the pool, "you're on!"

Drew readied his Pokéball and threw it to the pool, "Let's go Kingdra!"

Floatzel and Kingdra came out from their Pokéballs and faced each other across the battlefield. The time had already been ticking, so there was no time to hesitate. (Contest life points – A: 100, D: 100)

"Kingdra," Drew started off, "start things off with your Dragon Pulse!"

Kingdra bursted out a purple jet of searing flame from its mouth and shot it for Floatzel.

"Agility through the water," I called.

Floatzel started charging forward and sped up while dodging the incoming Dragon Pulse.

"Dive underwater," Drew called quickly.

"Slash immediately!"

Floatzel's Slash failed to hit Kingdra – as it dove underwater swiftly. Because of the failure, a minimal amount of contest points were taken away from Floatzel. (A: 94, D: 100) After failing in its attack, Floatzel landed on one of the floating pool platforms.

"It seems that Floatzel is going for the early offense," came the commentary, "but it got points off for that one. But Kingdra must know that it can't rely on defense and dodging to pull up a win."

"Hyper Beam to where Floatzel is standing!"

Slowly, the platform with Floatzel rose over the water with the force of the Hyper Beam attack. I had to think differently – most unlikely from the battle I had with Misty. Perhaps there was something in that Hyper Beam that I could use. I watched Kingdra rise out of the water while continuing to fire its Hyper Beam attack and bringing Floatzel and the platform higher into the air. But when I looked up, something else happened. I could see a small silhouette streak across the air.

"That's it," I said to myself, having figured out what to do for a counterattack. "Floatzel," I called, "Aqua Jet around the Hyper Beam!"

Floatzel shot down the Hyper Beam and streaked around it while lashing down at Kingdra with water. The water weakened the power of the Hyper Beam, and Floatzel's incredible speed gave way to an attack Kingdra least expected.

BAM! That mark gave points off from Drew. (A: 94, D: 87)

A minute and a half passed when the pool settings started changing. The pool suddenly turned deep blue.

"Kingdra," Drew called, "dive underwater and blend with it!"

Kingdra recovered from the impact and dove underwater. For a few fleeting seconds, I could detect Kingdra's movement, but sooner, Kingdra's movements vanished from my eyes. To prevent the thirty-second underwater penalty, Kingdra would have to surface. But if I didn't do anything, Floatzel would probably be hit by an attack somewhere from underneath. Floatzel was standing in one of the platforms attached to the pool bottom.

Just a little over twenty-five seconds, Kingdra leapt up from the water.

"Ice Fang immediately," I called.

"Dragonbreath, now," Drew called at the same time.

Floatzel swiftly charged forward with its mouth open – ready to strike. Kingdra also blasted a strong Dragonbreath attack aimed towards Floatzel. The Dragonbreath and Floatzel came against each other… But I didn't need the Ice Fang at Kingdra.

"Snap the attack shut," I called.

Drew coiled. "Wh-What are you…?"

Floatzel caught the Dragonbreath attack in its mouth and quickly snapped its mouth shut. I had to sacrifice a few contest life points so that I could maneuver the next move. (A: 88, D: 87)

"Return it with Hydro Pump," I called.

Floatzel's Hydro Pump was fused with the Dragonbreath attack, now that it looked more like a solidified Dragonbreath, thanks to the Ice Fang. The attack was fierce – and it hit Kingdra square to its belly. This gave heavy points off Drew's contest life points. (A: 88, D: 65)

"Will you look at that," came the commentary, "Ash's Floatzel seems to bring up a good combination call at the cost of some points. Now that's power and coordination!"

For some odd reason, Drew didn't seem to panic. He still stayed calm and confident.

"Get a hold of this," Drew called. "Kingdra, let's use our square formation!"

"Square formation?" I wondered. Kingdra suddenly multiplied into five, then ten, then twenty – and they all formed a square around Floatzel, who was looking around at a daze for the real Kingdra. However, to make the odds worse, the Kingdra started to move around.

"Hang in there, Floatzel!" I called.

"Bring in the attack," Drew called.

The Kingdra suddenly disappeared – leaving the real one in the battlefield. Kingdra shot out a Dragon Pulse attack, swifter but weaker, towards Floatzel, who still had its back on Kingdra.

"Watch out!" I called.

It was too late for Floatzel to dodge the incoming attack, even as it happened to turn around. Though the Dragon Pulse hit, the attack was not strong enough to knock Floatzel into the water. However, it did cost me some contest life points. (A: 81, D: 65)

"Aqua Jet immediately," I called.

Floatzel dashed forward in the water and disappeared with the water's splash.

"Over there," Drew called as he pointed in the direction to the left of Kingdra. Kingdra looked to the left. "Now!"

Kingdra shot out another burst of its Dragon Pulse attack to its left. The attack found its mark – Floatzel came back into view and was pushed back into the water. I couldn't believe it. How were they able to keep track of Floatzel's directions? (A: 70, D: 65)

"For some reason," said the commentary, "Drew and his Kingdra can seem to track Floatzel's attacking direction even when Floatzel has launched its Aqua Jet attack! Now this is simply unbelievable!"

I had to agree with the commentary. I had to focus on another angle – how to deal some effective damage on Kingdra. But I still knew that my points were still a few higher than that of Drew's. If I didn't do anything, my points would then be lower. Somehow, I had to find out how Kingdra could track Floatzel's direction of Aqua Jet. Perhaps it was in the pool's setting…?

"You'll stand to lose if you can't break through the formation," Drew called.

Kingdra had gone back to the square formation. Floatzel got to one of the other attached platforms and watched the Kingdra's revolve around him.

Four minutes into the match, the pool's settings changed once more from deep blue to crystal clear. I tried to find any changes by looking into the pool – that was when I noticed something. A shadow was moving underwater.

"Floatzel," I called, "Aqua Jet behind you!"

Floatzel realized what was going on after it looked at the pool's bottom. Floatzel dashed down to the water and shot over it – disappearing in a wave of water.

"It seems that Ash is repeating the same tactic used earlier," said the commentary.

"Kingdra," Drew called, "Dragon Pulse immediately to your right!"

"Not so fast," I called immediately.

Kingdra shot a purple wave of fire to its right – into the direction where Floatzel was approaching. But we were ready.

"Leap up!" I called.

Immediately, the water parted to where Floatzel should've been and Floatzel leapt up into the air.

"What the…?" Drew called hysterically.

"Bring it through with Slash!" I called.

Floatzel came at Kingdra like a bullet from a gun and streak past it like lightning. The Slash attack almost seemed to be undetectable, but everyone saw that the attack did some effect of Kingdra, because Kingdra coiled into the water and slammed onto the edge of the pool. I watched Drew's life points go down drastically. (A: 70, D: 49)

"Whoa," the commentary said excitedly, "the tables have been turned over to Kingdra, which finds itself dazed from the invisible Slash attack performed by Floatzel. Ash and Floatzel have exampled a good dodge-and-hit tactic there. And that should seriously take a lot of points off Drew and his Kingdra."

Drew chuckled. "What's there to say, Ash? I gotta hand it to you, you make a fine Coordinator."

Was that supposed to be a statement of praise? "Well, this battle isn't over yet," I told Drew – this time, with such intensity that blazed in every nerve of my body. "This battle hasn't even begun."

"I'm impressed with your determination," Drew called. "But wordplay will just bring you nowhere." He flicked his hair once more and pointed straight ahead. "Okay Kingdra, give them a little taste of our Solarbeam!"

"S-Solarbeam?" Uh-oh, this is going to be bad…

Because it was midday, the Solarbeam launched rather quickly. The sun's intensity added to the power of the Solarbeam – and the grass-intensified beam shot towards Floatzel quickly.

"If this Solarbeam hits," the commentary came, "this could be a big disadvantage for Ash and his Floatzel."

I was not about to let a disadvantage take hold of this part of the match. "Floatzel," I called, "dive underwater immediately!"

Floatzel narrowly escaped the Solarbeam as it dove immediately into the water. Both of our contest points were deducted, though. (A: 64, D: 44)

At six minutes into the match, the pool's settings changed from crystal clear setting to the hot water setting. Heat quickly built up in the pool – and not too long later, heat started rising from the pool. Ice attacks would do no good in here, I thought to myself. But now that there was heat, Solarbeam's power would become even greater. Kingdra didn't seem to suffer much from the hot water. It felt a bit relaxed, like it was in a sauna. Floatzel, however, was forced to stay in the platform – because it yelped in pain when it touched the water.

"Now that your Floatzel is stuck on that platform, I'll take my chance," Drew said. "Give our good friend a taste of another wicked Solarbeam!"

Kingdra prepared itself for another Solarbeam attack.

I had to think – if Floatzel wouldn't go left, right, backward, or forward… where would it go? The only direction was… up!

Kingdra shot out another Solarbeam attack for Floatzel.

"This is the end, Ash," Drew called.

"I think it's too early for a splash ending," I called.

"What are you talking about?"

"Jump on the Solarbeam when it comes!" I called to Floatzel.

The Solarbeam was fierce, but Floatzel was able to stand its ground. Floatzel leapt up forward towards Kingdra and jumped on the Solarbeam. It exercised all its gravity to stay intact like the Solarbeam was another platform.

"N-No way," Drew called. (A: 59, D: 44)

"Catch the Solarbeam and blast it back with your Aqua Jet!" That way, Kingdra could tell where Floatzel was firing from – but had no hope to use a Dragon Pulse attack. Floatzel caught the Solarbeam below it and absorbed its power – then it sped _through _the Solarbeam while shooting forward towards Kingdra.

"Oh my," said the commentary in a shocked voice, "what we're seeing here is beyond my belief! It seems that Floatzel has driven through the Solarbeam!"

BAM! The impact was fierce – the Solarbeam and the Aqua Jet hit back at Kingdra. This attempt took contest life points off from both Floatzel and Kingdra, but I suffered even greater consequences. (A: 35, D: 30) I glanced at the board and found that I was still taking the lead. I just had to stay that way until ten minutes would be up. But if Drew and his Kingdra pulled a fast one on Floatzel, Floatzel would faint before ten minutes would be up. And to stack more odds on top, Floatzel and Kingdra were already very tired.

"After that turn, I can't believe my eyes anymore," said the commentary. "Floatzel actually survived the attack even having charged through an attack super-effective against it!" The commentary paused for a moment and continued with, "And with only two more minutes to go, it seems that the Pokémon are already worn out. How much more can they stand any longer to endure each other's attacks?"

The settings of the pool changed from the heat setting to the ocean setting, a setting in which both Pokémon would adapt to.

"No more time to lose," I told Floatzel, "let's give it our all!" Floatzel nodded and dove into the water.

"Kingdra," Drew called to its Kingdra, "we can't give in now – not after we've come this far!"

Floatzel and I got ready for the next turn.

"Kingdra," Drew called, "Double-Edge immediately!"

"Floatzel," I called, "Slash attack!"

Kingdra and Floatzel charged at each other, with Kingdra's body ready for the strike and Floatzel's claws on for the attack. BAM! Both attacks found their mark. (A: 27, D: 22)

"There's nothing to lose," I muttered to myself. "Ice Fang!"

"Watch out Kingdra," Drew called, "show them our Body Slam!"

Kingdra's Body Slam made a heavy impact at Floatzel, but Floatzel's teeth also gnashed through. (A: 18, D: 15)

"So close… so close…" I thought wildly. The time just passed the final minute – and we were probably down to two more attacks. I had nothing to lose… this was my climax of the contest.

"And now that the final minute has drawn," said the commentary, whose voice almost seemed as if it was to build the suspense, "and the life points of the Pokémon below one-fifth, it seems as if we are about to come into the battle's peak!"

If it were really the battle's peak, then I had nothing else to lose… except everything that I had. Kingdra and Floatzel surfaced from the water to avoid the thirty-second underwater penalty. The two of them were facing each other.

"Kingdra," Drew called, "Dragonbreath!"

"Floatzel," I called, "Hydro Pump!"

The two attacks met in the center and attempted to push back the other. But after a few seconds of sheer endurance, the two attacks were forced to combine themselves. And when they did, the two attacks shot back to the Pokémon – both Floatzel and Kingdra.

"It's the split-power," I said. I had to think fast. "Floatzel, dodge it quickly!"

"Watch out Kingdra," Drew called. "Dive in!"

Floatzel and Kingdra, already very much worn out, barely escaped the water and dragon attack. However, it still seemed that they suffered damage because of the close impact that the attack made on the pool's edge. As a result, the contest life points were deducted. (A: 10, D: 10)

"We're a little under thirty seconds," came the commentary, who was talking quickly through the megaphone, "and will you look at this – after nine and a half minutes, the two coordinators' life points are already equal at only one-tenth of the starting points!"

In my insanity, I wished that Floatzel would fire an Ice Beam attack at the commentary to keep him from talking… but that's when it clicked. "If only it could work…" I said to myself, "Then we might…"

"This is the final shot," Drew called, "let's bring it with our Solarbeam!"

"Floatzel," I called, "one last – full-blast Ice Beam!"

Kingdra's Solarbeam and Floatzel's first and final Ice Beam met at the center of the battlefield – quite close to where they were. And because the two attacks were close to the Pokémon that fired the respective attack, a fierce explosion rocked the whole arena. And because it was an explosion, the smoke puffed everywhere in the battlefield. And as for the contest points, both of our contest points fell down to 1. (A: 1, D: 1) There were only ten more seconds remaining before the end of the match.

"Whoa," yelled the commentary, "the arena's rocking down from that explosion! And speaking of which – the life points of the two coordinators fell down to one!"

The smoke started to clear when there were only five seconds left on the clock. The suspense of cheers from the audience seemed to keep us pumped up.

"Aqua Jet," I called through gritted teeth.

"Blast it," Drew swore, "Kingdra, Brine on yourself!"

Floatzel's Aqua Jet found its mark, while Kingdra's Brine attack crushed down Floatzel when it reached Kingdra. The contest points fell to zero for both me and Drew. And just at that moment, the whistle sounded.

"Wow," the commentary said, "after ten minutes of hard battling, it seems that both of the participants' life points reached zero at the same time. This is the first time it has happened during this event."

It couldn't be a draw – eventually, either Floatzel or Kingdra would have to go down and faint. The two Pokémon eyed each other warily for a while – before the decision came. Kingdra lowered its head and was about to collapse. But in the other side of the battlefield, Floatzel fell down on its knees then collapsed on the platform. It fainted.

"In the event of a tie because both contest life points remain equal at the end of the time limit," spoke the referee through his lapels, "both Pokémon are submitted into final submission mode. However, this might be the only battle that bends beyond the conditions of the Contest Rules. Upon seeing the condition of the two Pokémon, I am forced to declare the Pokémon that still stands as the winner. Therefore, the winners of this match are Drew and his Kingdra!"

The jeers of the audience suddenly bore extreme weight in my heart. I lost. I felt speechless as I took out my Pokéball and returned Floatzel. I looked at the Pokéball and smiled. "Th-Thanks, F-Floatzel…" I could feel tears about to come out of my eyes. I stepped down slowly from the platform and avoided the crowd.

"Drew advances to the final ten," said the commentary. And that was the last I heard before I stepped in back to the hallway to the waiting room. But I didn't expect them in the waiting room – in fact, they were all there waiting for me in the hallway. Brock with Pikachu at his shoulder, Tracey, May, Dawn, Misty, and KC were there – their heads held high.

"I'm sorry, Ash," May started, almost about to cry.

"Big brother…" KC said as she ran forward and embraced me. I could feel the loving embrace – the comfort that my sister was giving me for the first time.

"You did very well out there," Dawn said. "We all went hysterical in the last minute. But in the end… things shifted…"

Brock stepped forward and patted my shoulder. Pikachu leapt from Brock's shoulder and landed on my other shoulder opposite where Brock had patted. "Ash," he said, "you did very exceptional out there – just what a true battle is all about!"

May stepped forward and comforted the sobbing KC.

Tracey and Misty stepped forward and joined in the hug. All I did was look down at my sobbing sister and return the hug – while pouring out all the tears. The game was finally done for all of us. I lost… but I had fun.

* * *

"Come on, Gastrodon, Mud Bomb!"

"Slash it through!"

Gastrodon's Mud Bomb easily got slashed apart by Floatzel's incoming attack. However, Gastrodon was cunning to use more than just the attack. The Mud Bomb had a little side effect – and when Floatzel cancelled the Slash, Gastrodon finished it off with a Body Slam attack. The contest points of Floatzel decreased to zero.

"The match is over," called the referee, "the winner of this match goes to Carmen and Gastrodon. Carmen advances to the final round."

And later that day...

"Lumineon, Aqua Tail immediately!"

"Oh yeah? Get a hold of our Fire Blast!"

Octillery's Fire Blast was swift, but Lumineon's Aqua Tail was swifter. It broke through the Fire Blast with one swipe and landed a heavy hit upon Octillery.

"Finish it off with Hydro Pump!"

"That won't end so good for you. Octillery, Thunder!"

Octillery blasted a strong surge of thunder from its mouth and made its way to Lumineon. Lumineon was shocked by the surge as it landed back on the water with a huge splash. When it surfaced from the pool, it fainted.

"Lumineon is unable to battle," announced the referee. "The winner of this match goes to Stacey and her Octillery. Stacey advances to the final round."

* * *

The two finalists battled it hard with their Pokemon. The battle was a three-on-three thirty-minute match. Every blow wore out the other – and eventually one had to faint. It did that way for a number of minutes, before their final Pokemon was left. Only five minutes remained in the match – and their powerhouses remained in the battlefield. The pool was already murky brown, but it seemed that Carmen's Gastrodon could handle the setting. However, Stacey's Octillery did seem to be so lucky. But when it launched a full-force Thunder attack, even against a ground-type, Gastrodon was forced to surface from the water.

The sun overhead was already heating up, and just as the last two minutes drew, the pool settings reverted back to the original form – probably to signal the ending of the match and the determination of the Aqua-palooza Water Pokemon Contest. Octillery and Gastrodon never showed any signs of giving up. They exchanged attacks one after another, sometimes sacrificing contest life points just to deal the perfect blow.

At the final minute, the crowd began to get on their feet. Personally, I could feel the amazing rise of intensity build up as I cheered on for the one who would be fortunate enough to deal the final moment.

At thirty more seconds, the audience started to get rowdy. They were gradually jumping up and down, sweat building out from their body while keeping focused as to witnessing a crowning moment. And the ones who were definitely super-pumped were the two final contestants of the Pokemon Contest. Then it finally drew to the final move – at ten seconds remaining.

"This is it everyone," came the commentary. "We're down to the final highlight!"

"Gastrodon, one last Water Pulse!"

"Charge it up and use your Hyper Beam!"

The two attacks were blasted at maximum power as the two of them met in the center of the battlefield. A wild explosion occurred, followed by the wild screams of the spectators, and then the final whistle sounded – signaling the end of the match. Now all what waited was the smoky haze to clear to determine the outcome of the match. And when it cleared, the decision came.

"Octillery is unable to battle," came the referee, "Gastrodon wins the match. The winner and the champion is Carmen from Pacifidlog Town!"

Everyone jeered wildly as the champion's name was called. Even Stacey, the second placer, accepted the defeat by yelling something at the victor then gave a thumbs-up.

"I've never seen a match this exciting," KC said, her eyes starting to build up. "It really wants to make me keep going."

Speaking of which – now that the contest would be over, she would be continuing her journey to collect the final badge of the region.

Nobody of us made it to the top ten (me, fallen into the top twelve of the match). But nothing was better than to celebrate with the trainers that made their glory or witnessed such a marvel – a marvel that would outshine such intensity – the intensity of the water Pokemon. The Aqua Ribbon gleamed beautifully in the afternoon sun. It was like a shadow – a shadow that brought such a warm feeling that poured over me. May, Dawn, and KC had admitted of feeling down when they lost – but they accepted it, and they were already happy and cheering for the champion.

The Contest drew to its finale by a performance by some popular band named Cat's Cross. Even no one had the power to stop Misty, who just kept on jeering when the lead vocalist stepped into the stage and started singing:

"_You put me in a trance, baby, I can see how you transform me..._

_It pains for me to see when you are so down,_

_ just can't help myself the second time around..._"

Though I was not really a fan of Cat's Cross, or music, the words they sung seemed to have strung into my heart. The wild cheers from the fans didn't matter anymore.

"_I'm back for you, and never to lift the frozen block_

_Ooh, baby, my heart – the black Solrock_

_It's black when you're not here beside me..._"

Never to lift the frozen block – never to give up on little matters – always push it on and believe that we can achieve. Cat's Cross only performed one song, and left the stage – leaving the fans disappointed and disgruntled. But when everyone headed out from the Cerulean Arena, at least everyone had the time of witnessing an event that would spawn in their lives for the rest of their lives.

* * *

"So, what now?" Brock started.

"Hmm," Misty pondered deep in thought, "I don't know what we could do."

"I know," Dawn suddenly stood up, her face brightened, "let's throw another party of our own!"

"Another one," May objected, "who was the person who tripped me and got orange soda all over the roast?"

Hmm... that was pretty an embarrassing scene, but it seemed that Dawn's idea wouldn't be so bad. "Hey," I spoke up, "why not we throw a little celebration with everyone – also with our Pokemon! Come on, at least we'll be cheered up!"

"I like that idea," Misty said. Pikachu also agreed by jumping up and down while chattering something about that meant celebration.

"Besides," Brock said, "we could have a little enlightenment."

Everyone suddenly turned to KC and Tracey, who had fallen silent the past minutes. The both of them flinched, while Misty inched toward them with a face that expressed interest.

"Um, uh," KC started, "I guess the majority rules..."

"I'm not opposed to celebrating," Tracey said.

"And that settles it," I told everyone. "Let's celebrate."

"Wait!" May yelled.

Everyone suddenly turned to May.

"What is it, May?" Misty asked her wonderingly.

May flinched for a moment. But she fought the nervousness by raising a question. "Well, at least no one is opposed to having a party – but where should we celebrate it?"

It seemed that everyone was thinking that they should NOT have it in Misty's home.

"How about in the gym?" I suggested. "And we can have a swimming party with the other Pokemon!"

"I like that idea," Brock muttered.

"It isn't half-bad," Misty said.

At least almost everybody responded lightheartedly to the suggestion.

"That's settled," Misty decided. "Let's all have a little swimming celebration in the pool!"

We all cheered – I pumped my fists into the air.

"Shall we go then," May said.

"Last one in the pool is a rotten Exeggcute!" Dawn jittered and she ran towards the direction of the gym.

"I'm no rotten Exeggcute!" KC called after Dawn.

"Grass ain't my type," Misty called and she ran after KC, who was in pursuit of Dawn.

The rest of us laughed as we watched the three girls run after the succeeding one and we walked back to the gym. I couldn't believe how time would pass so quickly – then everything became so sudden. I felt like I could be a totally new person again.

* * *

_The sun just started to set and it seemed that the party would start upon the first gaze of the moon. The park started to grow quiet as some people started to walk out from it – with Ash and the gang included._

_But the whole scenery seemed to be missing – as Ash and the gang walked back towards the gym, something else occurred in the park they were in. A mysterious person stepped out from the shadows of the trees and mysteriously watched the troop that marched back to the gym. The mysterious person didn't seem to be a bad person, young as he was, but he didn't seem to be a good guy either. He seemed to have no intention of following them, but instead, he left a branding fiendishly plastered in his face._

_"May...?"_

WHO IS THIS GUY?

* * *

Next chapter on Winner Takes Ash: A Girl's Sweetest Dreams

"Uh, Ash..." she started.

"Wah!" I quickly shuffled May away – slamming her on the ground. "S-S-Sorry... I j-just g-grabbed..."

Before I could get up, May tugged my hands once more with both of her hands and muttered, "Ash... I think... I love you..."

…

"Well," KC said quite sadly, "I – I'll be off."

It was heartbreaking to see my little sister suddenly go off back into her adventure. But I knew that she only needed one badge before completing the Kanto set of badges. I had to keep my hopes up for her to return back.

"Thanks a lot, Misty," KC turned to her and brightened up. "I had lots of fun while staying over at your place."

"You're welcome," Misty said lightheartedly.

**TO BE CONTINUED…

* * *

****Existing chapters:**

**Prologue: The Pokémon Masters**

**Chapter 1: Face-Off**

**Chapter 2: Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3: Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4: Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

**Chapter 5: Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience**

**Chapter 6: Forest and Poisons**

**Chapter 7: It's A Whole New Gym Leader**

**Chapter 8: Brock's Flashback**

**Chapter 9: Pains of the Past**

**Chapter 10: Petalburg Pursuit – To the Maximum!**

**Chapter 11: Bringing Back the Young Days**

**Chapter 12: A Little Taste of Darkness**

**Chapter 13: Nightmares**

**Chapter 14: A Night in the Meadows**

**Chapter 15: The Amazing Transformation**

**Chapter 16: Tidal Terror**

**Chapter 17: Lost From the Tree**

**Chapter 18: Love Fever – Stricken!**

**Chapter 19: Three-Way Hostility**

**Chapter 20: Detection of Infection – A Virus Like No Other!**

**Chapter 21: A Secret of Two Trainers Unveiled**

**Chapter 22: Contest Preparations**

**Chapter 23: Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 24: More Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 25: Still More Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

I really don't know if there's a really significant difference... but this was the first chapter I used with OpenOffice... it seemed quite comfortable actually. But anyway, who do you think this mysterious guy will be? Is he someone who Ash had to settle a score in the past for May? Or is this someone who wants to meet with May? Well, we have to find that one later... and watch out for the next chapters – where three top shippings will come pull off!

I have a bit of a question: can Kingdra learn Solarbeam? Please tell me!!! Because if Kingdra can't learn Solarbeam, I might have to revise the chapter!

**PowerZone**


	28. Ch26: A Girl's Sweetest Dreams

**CHAPTER 26: A GIRL'S SWEETEST DREAMS**

It's kinda unpredictable what a girl can do – especially when they become emotional.

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 24) "Where are you going," I called out and followed May.

Sure enough, May was in the patio. She seemed to wear some worry to herself.

"Why did you follow me," she said, almost demandingly.

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

(Chapter 25) "Last one in the pool is a rotten Exeggcute!" Dawn jittered and she ran towards the direction of the gym.

"I'm no rotten Exeggcute!" KC called after Dawn.

"Grass ain't my type," Misty called and she ran after KC, who was in pursuit of Dawn.

The rest of us laughed as we watched the three girls run after the succeeding one and we walked back to the gym. I couldn't believe how time would pass so quickly – then everything became so sudden. I felt like I could be a totally new person again.

* * *

**STORY PROPER:**

Now that the Aqua-palooza Water Pokemon Contest has ended, things in Cerulean City were just settling back to normal. But in Misty's home, a few things were still in turmoil. For example, Daisy was holding up the newspaper and staring at it with a bleak expression.

"Hey," Daisy told Misty and Lily, who were gathered around the kitchen table, "the news just mentioned that Roddy Caliber, the lead vocalist of the rock band Cat's Cross, decided to quit the band so suddenly." At this announcement, Misty and Lily stood up.

"W-What?"

Daisy slammed the newspaper on the table and stood up. "It just happened suddenly." She clenched her fist and continued through gritted teeth. "Whatever this reason may be, I'm sure..." and that followed with some words too sensitive for some innocent person to hear.

"You've gotta be kidding," came a low voice from the kitchen doorway.

Brock was leaning against the doorpost with his arms folded. "When did Daisy become so violent?"

Misty sighed and volunteered to point to the newspaper Daisy had placed earlier. Brock went over to the table and picked up the newspaper. He mouthed what seemed to be the newspaper headlines and said, "What the heck...?"

"Yeah," Lily said gloomily, "it's true... and to think that his latest single, 'Black Solrock', reached the number one in the Pokemon Hit Billboard..."

"Wasn't that the song played in the end of the contest?" Brock clarified.

I decided to leave out in the conversation, because I was not very interested in music. But, just in case, I decided to absorb the information. When I stepped out of the living room and out into the yard, I suddenly felt a little tinge at the corner of my chest. Now I suddenly remembered that my real father was still missing. Where could he be? I moved out of the house and into the yard, where May and Pikachu were playing around.

"You know you can't be efficient if you can't master it," May told her Blaziken aptly. "Let's try that one again."

Blaziken started spewing a small ball of fire to the air then caught up with it and used Sky Uppercut on it. The ball of fire split into smaller balls of fire – but they quickly dissipated.

"Practicing already?" I stepped in.

May nodded, but she didn't take her eyes off Blaziken. Blaziken landed back on the ground.

"I've never heard of Pokemon Contests involving fire Pokemon," I said to her.

"Nope," May responded. "It's just for any upcoming Pokemon contest."

I chuckled. "You never give up at it."

Pikachu went over to Blaziken and prodded its leg. "It's a dream that I have to personally pursue," May said. We fell silent for a while, but May suddenly frowned. "Ash..."

I looked at May. "What is it, May?"

It took her a while to find the words she was trying to say. But what she said somehow seemed to have my insides wriggle and leap. "Ash... I'm going back home."

I stood there, unsure of what to do next. Yet I couldn't figure May out – why was she frowning all of a sudden? But if it involved the family business, then I guess there wouldn't be any more reason to hide it. I didn't have to say – without the risk of exposing the taboo. "May, is it something you need?"

May looked up for a while. She sat down on the ground. "Well, I'll be there shortly before I get back to the Sinnoh region."

"Oh, okay."

I sat down on the ground beside May, unsure if I really had to explain further. But that sting in my heart still lingered – as if it was longing for me to do it. Well, better now than never. "May," I started quite compassionately, "is it about your father?" May looked up quickly and flinched. I realized I said something wrong. "Oh, well, uh..."

"Yes," I heard her say.

Norman, the former Petalburg City gym leader and also May and Max's father, passed away about six or seven months ago from a severe immunodeficiency disease (Chapter 12). It bore great pain upon the family for losing a loved one. But it bore even greater burden to Max, who was assigned the temporary position of the gym leader post. While Norman used the normal-type Pokemon, Max switched in using the dark-type. Come to think of it, it had been quite a time since I've battled Max – but that was right before the disaster occurred.

"I've been so scared for the past few months," May said. "I don't know so well if dad's finally found peace. I... I..." May stopped mid-sentence and then started sobbing.

I was not in a state to comfort her. But I was a straight witness to the death of her father. Watching such an event for the first time made me just as scared as May. What if it would happen to one of us? The consequences would be drastic – but that would be how things went. Death is inescapable.

"I found peace within myself," she continued while trying to manage a smile. "I tried to stay happy as I could – to be in the company of my friends. Mom and dad would always tell me to seek the aid of my friends – my friends who cared for each other." It was touching to hear her say it – it was almost like I could cry any moment.

"It's all right to stay happy," I told May. "But you cannot always use it as an excuse to forget your father. Besides, you might just know that your father will always be watching in your every step."

May smiled and nodded while she brushed the tear that fell down her cheeks. "I had some sort of feeling that dad would be watching me perform in the contest. Maybe he was proud of me..."

"No," I told her. "Not maybe, but definitely."

The fact that we were talking about May's mother made me remember the series of events that took place when I stayed in Petalburg City. I patched all my wounds that spurned because of uncontrollable emotions. But I didn't think that it would pull me closer to May (Chapter 10). I only thought it would be functional for the both of us. May was almost like a little sister to me – she was the caring type, who would always look out to the aid of the people close to her and of her Pokemon. I couldn't forget the feeling of being lifted off the ground that night – for it seemed to heal all those wounds that made dysfunctional things between me and May transform into things that made it greater. And in the other side, May was also a great friend – someone to be there if anyone ever needed a helping hand. But she mixed sometimes with her negative traits to make herself seem unpredictable. She mixes well into a clique – and is really the trendy type of girl.

"Once you'll leave Petalburg, where will you go next?" I asked May.

May raised her shoulders quickly and put them down. "I heard there are Pokemon Contests in the Almia region."

"The Almia region?" I wondered. "What's that?" I seemed to make out some amusing pictures of all-new Pokemon and brand new gym battles and the league.

"It's not a very big region, unfortunately," May said. "It's where the Ranger World Base is located."

"Whoa," I said to May, "you plan to be a Pokemon Ranger?"

At this, May swiftly moved towards me and slapped me hard in the back. "Of course, not, silly! I mentioned earlier about Pokemon Contests!"

"Oh, sorry," I muttered, while rubbing the part where May hit me. Damn, it really hurt.

We did not say anything to each other for a while. I tried to hear what was going on inside the house. It seemed like there was some sort of forum about that missing rock band vocalist. Misty's and Daisy's voices seem to be the loudest in the house. I sighed to myself and continued to look at May, who seemed to be deeply absorbed in her own thought. If May would really be going to the Almia region to continue with her career – then all I could do was root for her.

But that would mean separating myself from May for a long time... and I still didn't really show how much I really care for her. (Advanceshipping up ahead!) The lingering thought seemed to have a bitter aftertaste and some stench that willowed my thoughts into impeccable heartaches. Should I really tell her...?

"Are you sure you'll be going?" I told her.

May smiled at me. "To the Almia region?" It took her some thinking. "Well, um, I guess so. I have nowhere else to go... Max is handling the gym, and..."

I guess so...? Now I was getting frustrated.

"Ash," she spoke, "is there something wrong? You're sweating an awful lot."

I flinched. I could really tell that I was blushing – and May was grinning at me like a schoolgirl. "_Man, she's cute when she does that._" Yet, I sat there frozen just looking at her in the eyes.

"You know," she said, "you're really unpredictable. When you look at me like that, you make me embarrassed." And then she giggled – which just multiplied the tension.

"R-really," I told her, "er, um, sorry..."

May sighed. She looked down at the ground and continued what she had been saying, "As I've said – after I've visited mom and Max back home, I plan to go to the Almia region to participate in the Pokemon Super Contests." She sighed again and then made herself more relaxed.

"Okay," I told her, "we'll be rooting for you."

When May nodded, I decided to stand up. If there really wasn't anything to say, I guess I would just head back to the house – and maybe join against Brock's retorting. But just as I took the first step back, May suddenly tugged my hand. I swiftly turned around while pulling my hand back – but little did I know that pulling my hand would draw May close. But when I knew, May tripped forward and leaned close to me while she tugged her hands around me. Yet I was pushed backward and holding May around her waist could do little to stop the both of us from falling. The both of us fell down to the ground – with May on top of me – just like that time... (Chapter 14)

"Uh, Ash..." she started.

"Wah!" I quickly shuffled May away – slamming her on the ground. "S-S-Sorry... I j-just g-grabbed..."

Before I could get up, May tugged my hands once more with both of her hands and muttered, "Ash... I think... I love you..."

…

…

W-WHAT!?!

"You're kidding, right?" I eyed her warily.

May shook her head innocently. She took a deep breath and let it all out. "It's just that... we were still friends back there in Petalburg City when we shared our kiss – I just wanted to forgive you for what you've done to me... and I couldn't let you down." Everything suddenly started to become clear. "And when I said I loved you... I was still unsure if that was the right thing to say – again I couldn't let you down – and..." she looked down with regret but still didn't let go of my hand, "...I feel like I've offended dad by escaping loneliness..."

I looked at May and just sat there speechless.

"Ash," she said as she scanned the area, "I'd like to take this conversation privately – say, in the Cerulean Cape."

Although I wasn't really too sure if May was really sane or not, I just had to accept it. May and I snuck quietly out of Misty's yard and we slowly made our way to the Cerulean Cape, located just a few distance to the north outside the city.

* * *

There were no beaches in the Cerulean Cape because of the rock bed that laid in the shoreline. However, the Cerulean Cape was famous for the so-called Cliff of Solace, one of the best spots to take a breathtaking sunset view over the Cerulean Sea. Many people consider the place where romance blooms, or if now romance, just where one can find inner peace – hence the name. A sturdy cherry blossom tree stood lone yet proud near the edge of the cliff. Cherry blossoms were also littered everywhere for having been blown by the wind. The light and lush viridian grass swayed freely with the wind's direction.

Coming to this place with May brought me some peace. Because of the aura that the environment generated, I suddenly didn't feel nervous anymore. It was as if I could listen to what May would say to me.

"The place is really beautiful," I told May. Though I've been to this cape a few times before, nothing like this place could stop me from marveling at the seemingly painted beauty that most fantasy could ever provide.

"I heard that this place is a famous date spot," May said.

"Yeah," I agreed. Then I thought bitterly, "_But it's not that we're gonna have a date or anything!_"

May and I sat close to the cherry blossom tree.

"Where did we leave off, again," May started. "Oh, right..."

It was a bit light-heartening to listen to May's story. Only to survive with the mother and the brother meant a greater responsibility for her on the family. "After all, mom wants me to grow up into an intelligent woman," she said. "But seriously, Ash... I was really true in what I said."

About that fact that May said that she loved me... everything started to become confusing.

"M-May," I said, "we can only stay as friends – just... friends."

I expected May to frown, but when I looked at her, it was as if she accepted the situation. "Lovers are always best friends... though the relative degree is usually almost mutual." She sighed. "If that's how it has to accept in our case, then it should be the way it is." She turned to look at me and smiled, then said, "Ash... it may seem a little far-fetched, but I know how it really feels to fall in love. I am a woman after all..."

Should I really give myself in? Would this be the end of my long and tiring search to find the girl that I would be with. "M-May..." Unknowingly, she raised one arm and wrapped it close around my waist, then she leaned her head on my shoulder.

"Ash... before I leave, I should say this," May started.

My insides were starting to burst in excitement.

"I don't know if we'll be meeting each other again," she continued. "If we really have to stay as friends, then I won't have a problem saying that I love you..."

I etched those words into my mind and found the words too dear for me. But May was making perfect sense... maybe she knew that if we would only stay as friends, then she would need to find someone else. But she would be expecting that I would not be returning the same kind of feeling.

"May..."

I believed myself that I was wrong in thinking that May would be the one for me. But it was the best that I could do. "I know that you're ready," I told May concernedly. "But y-you have to give me some time. Maybe when you get back from the Almia region, w-we can talk this through..."

"Oh, Ash," she said – and the next thing I knew, May planted a soft kiss on my cheek.

Rather than just be nervous about it, it was best that I just accept how May felt towards me. Maybe it was best for the both of us... Watching the morning pass by with May leaning towards me seemed like an experience where storms would calm in the blink of an eye and all strife would end in the wave of a hand. But I definitely knew that this might probably be the final time I would speak with May – for now. I only had to reserve the feelings and set them aside.

"May...

"_I'm sorry..._"

* * *

The next day, the scene had quickly shifted. This time, KC was ready to depart for the final destination before she would collect all the needed badges to enter the Indigo League. Everyone waited in Misty's living room to bid KC goodbye. KC came into the living room with her bag prepared and a frown that seemed to ache in everyone.

"Well," KC said quite sadly, "I – I'll be off."

It was heartbreaking to see my little sister suddenly go off back into her adventure. But I knew that she only needed one badge before completing the Kanto set of badges. I had to keep my hopes up for her to return back.

"Thanks a lot, Misty," KC turned to her and brightened up. "I had lots of fun while staying over at your place."

"You're welcome," Misty said lightheartedly.

"KC," I told her, "you take good care of yourself, okay?"

KC nodded. The two of us embraced each other. "I will, Ash. You take care also. Send mom and Professor Oak my regards. Oh, and Craig and Keith send their regards also."

"Thanks," I told her.

May, Dawn, and Tracey were the last ones to say goodbye to KC. When they finished their wishes, KC made one final wave and she went off slowly into the depths of the city. When KC disappeared, Dawn started sobbing.

"If only she would stay a little longer," Dawn sobbed, "we were just about to become good friends..."

Misty consoled her. "Don't worry Dawn. She only needs one badge – and then she'll be back. And we'll also watch her in the Indigo League." At least this cheered Dawn up.

Now that KC was gone, we all fell silent. Even Brock, who was almost always the first one to break such a silence, felt speechless. KC was one of the people who kept us energized even when we were all worn out. She seemed to have some sort of "infinite-energy code" attached to her. The thought amused me, but thinking more about KC only kept us more depressed. The depression was just like that last time we all thought Brock would be gone from the group after the emotional distortion (Chapter 8).

* * *

That night, I hung around somewhere near the entrance to the Waterflower household. Instead of usually joining the night fun we always had, I decided to spend some time with myself. It was a night for me to look back – to look at all the things that happened to me lately: the last of which was KC's leave, the most memorable of which was May's feeling, and the most unforgettable of which was the Water Pokemon Contest. At least the night was clear, so the aura seemed to soften my mood.

"Hey."

I thought I heard a voice calling out to me, but I just seemed to be imagining things.

"Hey you."

Okay, I definitely heard it. I looked around to see where the voice came from. The sound did not seem so friendly, but I never had to avoid it.

"Over here."

I looked at where the source came from. I could only make out the figure of a person leaning against the gate post. All I knew that it was a male and that he had hair almost similar as mine. At first, I wasn't sure whether I should respond to this person, but when he whispered, "Quickly!" I had to give in.

The guy turned out to be a few inches taller than me, and did not look more than twenty years old. He was neither skinny nor obese, but he did not seem to stand up straight. Because it was dark, I couldn't make out the color of his hair – but I wildly guessed that it was probably dark brown. His hair, however, was combed to one-side. His eyes showed some hints of interest, but it also seemed to reflect that he might have a silent personality. He didn't look like a Pokemon trainer, judging by the simple plan T-shirt and leather jeans and sneakers he was wearing. Though his eyes slanted inwards, I could not perceive that he would be a bad person.

"What do you want," I hissed, "and who are you?"

"You're from the Pokemon Contest, right?" he started – his voice deep. "Ash, if I'm not mistaken."

If this guy wanted to have a Pokemon battle or a fist fight, then I had to be ready. "Just answer my questions: who are you, and what do you want?"

"I don't want any unnecessary blows," he replied while trying to keep himself calm. "I'm Tristan and I'm from Petalburg City. I just participated in the Pokemon Contest, but I didn't make it to the second round."

Petalburg City... May?

"So?" I told him.

"You must know that I'm looking for someone," he said to me. He stopped leaning from the gate post and stood up near the wall. "I'm looking for the girl that you keep hanging out with."

"You mean... May?"

Tristan nodded slowly.

If this person wanted to do something with May, then I had to be ready. "What do you want with her?" I asked him without showing any signs of weakness or defense.

"I want to see her, please." He almost said it convincingly – as if he wanted to see her for one last time. But something clicked in my mind – did he know beforehand that May would be leaving for the Almia region? Because if he did, then he might've been stalking me and May while we were in the Cliff of Solace! "I want to talk to her."

I didn't know if it's the right time to talk. "Listen, Tristan. It's already late, and... she might already be asleep. Why don't you come back tomorrow..." I had to stop mid-sentence upon seeing the hint that fury or guilt might arise in Tristan. "... Uh, is something wrong?"

"I'm going..." then he mumbled something.

"Going... what?"

Tristan straightened himself and repeated more clearly. "I'm going back home tomorrow – and I don't have enough time."

"Why don't you just meet May in Petalburg City?"

It took Tristan some time to answer the question. But when he could answer again, he mumbled, "I can't."

I just stared at this guy – is he really sane? I expected a more reasonable explanation out of him. Tristan sighed and added it with the explanation, "We're moving out of Petalburg City into the Sinnoh region next week."

I nodded, but I wasn't convinced. "Why do you want to talk with May? Who is May to you?"

"May..." Tristan started slowly, "is... May is..."

"Say it," I hissed.

"May is... my childhood friend."

Something sharp pierced inside my heart. If that were really true, then the ache would just keep seeping in. I never imagined that May would want a boyfriend beforehand, but I didn't want to know that this guy might've known May longer than I do. Perhaps he wanted to talk about something about their relationship? Perhaps they had to settle an old score? Maybe he wanted May to be his girlfriend? I couldn't say no to his request, but I felt that saying yes was not the right thing to do. If Tristan would really know May, there was only one way to find out.

"Stay here for a while," I told him. "I'll call her." As I started walking back to the house, I muttered to Tristan, "But I still don't fully believe you."

I entered the house quietly – and luckily, May was seated alone in the living room. She seemed to be depressed. But when she saw me, she pulled out a smile. "Ash! Where have you been?"

It was not a good time to be smiling – but I did not have to haste. "May... somebody wants to see you."

"What?" she coiled. "At this time?"

"I don't know what he really wants," I explained, "but he really needs to see you."

It took a little while to convince May into seeing this person, but when May decided to agree, I felt partly relieved. I showed May back to where Tristan had been. He was still there leaning on the wall behind him. When he spotted the two of us, he stood up and approached the both of us.

"Do you know this guy," I asked May.

May and Tristan looked at each other for a moment. After a few seconds of dazing, May opened her mouth and muttered, "T-Tristan?" So May indeed does know him!

"May," Tristan said and he smiled.

"What are you doing here?" May asked, keeping her voice gentle. I decided to distance myself from the situation so I would not disturb them. But May called me back, and I had no choice.

"Well," he started, "I did join the Pokemon Contest only to have some fun – while I'm still here." He sighed.

May frowned. "Huh? What's wrong?"

"Well," he murmured, "I'm going home tomorrow... and we're moving out soon."

May stared at him and then gasped, "N-No."

"I'm sorry, May," he told her. I could tell the fact that May was already starting to cry.

"B-But, it was you who taught me how to love Pokemon," she pleaded. "And... and... all those memories with you and Brendan and Vane... what will happen...?"

Tristan placed a hand on May's shoulder. I was sensing that something else might come up, but I had to control myself. "You've learned a lot already, May. And... And... I really didn't want you to find out until you would get home."

May's eyes suddenly widened and then she started crying, much to Tristan's dismay. She muttered, "D-Dad..."

"I – I'm deeply sorry about what happened to your father," Tristan said to her. "It was shocking... even Brendan and Vale felt so very speechless when they found out." He let go of May.

"I – I'll be fine," she sobbed and brushed away the tears that flowed down. "I'll learn to be free someday."

Tristan looked away for a moment and then said to May, "May, are you leaving soon?"

"Leaving for...?"

"Someplace else after you get home?"

May gasped. Maybe she got the impression that he had been following her when May and I were in the Cliff of Solace.

"H-How did you know th-that?" May asked, her voice rattling.

"I didn't want to do it," he said, admitting, "but I followed the both of you when you went to the Cliff." He breathed and smiled. "I've got nothing against the both of you, but when I heard that you were leaving soon... I had to do something." When he said this, my insides started to bubble with rage. But it wouldn't be good for me to pull a fast one – after all, he did nothing wrong except eavesdropping on us.

"So what do you want to do now?" May asked almost worriedly.

"I know that we're childhood friends, and..." he stopped there for a while and put himself in deep thought. "And... I just want to say goodbye..."

"T-Tristan..."

"My family made the decision, not me," Tristan said. "Mom and dad found a bigger job opportunity in the Sinnoh region... I insisted that we just stay where we wanted to be happy, but I was the only one in the family who negated their decision." He sighed. "And so... I had no other choice."

May frowned. "So... this is it...?"

Tristan nodded. "Brendan and Vane already got the word and they also bid me goodbye, but you haven't. That's when the news came up. I entered the Contest just to find you."

May smiled a little. "You haven't changed a bit, Tristan. You really are the mad genius."

Tristan chuckled. "I – I guess so."

I was leaning on the wall behind me just a few feet from where the two of them were. Tristan seemed to have spotted me, but I paid no attention to him. All what I wanted to hear was their conversation.

"You know, I have to admit," Tristan said light-heartedly, "the both of you really look good together. I hope he has already opened his feelings."

I tried not to let it all out – though the adrenaline continued to pound in me. I tried to stay motionless, but I knew that May would push through deeper into my thoughts.

"Well," May responded, "I really wish he would..." I smiled slowly.

The two of them fell silent. It seemed that their time was already up.

"You've learned a lot," Tristan repeated, and he added, "You already seem to know everything there is to know. Brendan, Vale, and I are rooting for you when you leave for the Almia region – and so with the other people who've known you." He turned his back on May and said his final words, "If we meet someday, I'm sure we'll really get to know more about each other."

"Tristan..."

Tristan checked his watch and looked up at the sky. "The night's getting late. I'm sorry to have you come out at this time of night. I... just... wanted to say goodbye."

He started walking away when May called him, "Hey!"

Tristan stopped in his tracks and turned around. "What is it?"

"Thank you for everything, Tristan," May called. "Really, thanks!"

Tristan laughed softly. "Yeah, you're welcome." With that, he walked away and disappeared into the next corner – and maybe perhaps from May's life. But they would meet someday, if it would will it.

I stopped leaning from the wall and said to May, "Wait here."

May did not respond, but I went after Tristan and turned into the corner he had gone into. After a few steps, I found Tristan about to cross the street. He spotted me and stopped in his tracks.

"Oh, it's you."

"Tristan," I said to me while I caught my breath, "is May someone dear to you?"

"Wh-Why are you asking that?"

I couldn't find a good reason or alibi. I just insisted him to answer the question. "If you'll really be gone, then I also have a right to know."

Tristan chuckled for a while. But when he settled down, he said, "I do have a long-time crush on May – ever since we were still kids." I heard it all too well – the lingering ache still seemed to seep in. "But when I saw the both of you back there, I thought that she'd found someone already close to her." Tristan looked across the street and continued, "May's really fond of life's lessons – including love. I once heard from May about her fantasizing herself as a beautiful maiden who would someday be rescued by a knight in shining armor."

A knight in shining armor, huh?

"If you really want to be May's knight in shining armor," Tristan told me, "then you've got to open up to her."

"Open up to her...?" There would already be no more time!

"I understand that she would be leaving soon," Tristan said. "May hardly ever changes her mind once she says something. But for what reason could the news become so sudden? Family? Honor? Dream? Emotion? I can never really delve into what May thinks." He stepped towards me while continuing. "She's got already good friends like you. I'm sure it will be easy for you to understand how she feels."

"B-But you're her childhood friend," I insisted. "I know you can..."

"I know I can," Tristan interrupted, "but sadly, I'm already out of time. Believe you can do it – and you... can shine."

If what Tristan said could help, then there would still be time. If May could be the right one for me, then I just had to tell it. However, I've already kept my word about reserving those feelings. I had to do it, because if I did, then it might as well ruin our careers – in some way. Yet, the possibility that May would be gone from me for a very long time made my heart suddenly tinge – and the adrenaline that had been pounding in my guts suddenly gone crazy.

"It's been nice meeting you, Ash," Tristan said. "I'll be on my way."

I had no more reason to stop him. I watched him go on his way as he crossed the street. And when he reached the other side, he called out, "Please take care of May!" I could only nod as I watched him disappear in the next corner.

I flinched suddenly when somebody patted me on my shoulder, but I only realized that it was May. Could I be her knight in shining armor?

"May... I..."

"I know," she said.

It took me a little while to understand what May was thinking.

"I'm sorry... for not telling you earlier," I said to her apologetically.

"No need," May said. She followed it with, "I understand."

The street light overhead was just about to burn out because it kept cracking on and off. But even as the light overhead kept on flashing, I could still see May come close. She leaned a hand on my shoulder and looked at me tenderly – like it would almost be our last. Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around me and squeezed me tightly. I looked down at May, and I watched her start crying. Of all the things that would help, I decided to settle with the old style – I wrapped my arms around May. And just as I drew her close, the street light overhead burned out.

"May...?"

"Yeah...?"

"I love you..."

WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?

* * *

Next chapter on Winner Takes Ash: The Voyage A Maple Has To Follow

"_Was this supposed to be the right thing to do? Should I really leave everyone back like that?_" It almost didn't seem so fair for her to travel alone into an unknown land. But she had been used to it. She already had kept her promise in going to the Almia Region to participate in the Pokemon Super Contests. But on the other hand, her worry tinged in her so much - she had left Ash back there.

But it was already too late, now that the boat started sailing away from the land, from the city, from her family, from her friends, and sadly, from Ash. When the little speck of green disappeared in the horizon, she let the silent tear she had been holding fall freely.

...

"The Almia region is famous for the Ranger HQ, where the International Association of Pokemon Rangers gather from all around the world for conferences," said the guide. "Recently, the Almia government also decided to set up Pokemon Contests, so that all the trainers can recognize their potential by being one with their Pokemon. Even the Ranger HQ Chairperson Keith believes in the full potential of the Pokemon. We are all really glad that rangers could bond freely with the trainers and coordinators of the Almia region."

May had heard of Pokemon Rangers, but she didn't think that a whole organization of them would be gathered in one region.

"_Wow,_" she thought wildly, "_this place has got to be awesome!_"

**TO BE CONTINUED…

* * *

****Existing chapters:**

**Prologue: The Pokémon Masters**

**Chapter 1: Face-Off**

**Chapter 2: Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3: Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4: Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

**Chapter 5: Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience**

**Chapter 6: Forest and Poisons**

**Chapter 7: It's A Whole New Gym Leader**

**Chapter 8: Brock's Flashback**

**Chapter 9: Pains of the Past**

**Chapter 10: Petalburg Pursuit – To the Maximum!**

**Chapter 11: Bringing Back the Young Days**

**Chapter 12: A Little Taste of Darkness**

**Chapter 13: Nightmares**

**Chapter 14: A Night in the Meadows**

**Chapter 15: The Amazing Transformation**

**Chapter 16: Tidal Terror**

**Chapter 17: Lost From the Tree**

**Chapter 18: Love Fever – Stricken!**

**Chapter 19: Three-Way Hostility**

**Chapter 20: Detection of Infection – A Virus Like No Other!**

**Chapter 21: A Secret of Two Trainers Unveiled**

**Chapter 22: Contest Preparations**

**Chapter 23: Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 24: More Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 25: Still More Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 26: A Girl's Sweetest Dreams**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Advanceshipping ROX! Well, that's how midnightmoon602 perceives it. Hmm... that scene seemed a bit familiar – because the concept came from the story I was required to submit for my English class. Oh, and guys... I'm very sorry to say it... but the next chapter will be the LAST we'll see of May – for Winner Takes Ash 1. Who knows? Maybe she'll come back in the next novel and maybe Ash could be ready!

Advanceshippers especially midnightmoon602, greendust, and boomer12 (the latter two are codenames) – sorry... but that's how the story will have to build up.

**PowerZone**


	29. Ch27: The Voyage of A Maple

**CHAPTER 27: THE VOYAGE A MAPLE HAS TO FOLLOW**

Goodbye is only temporary, goodbye forever is not even permanent.

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 1) "I love custom modifications," Lt. Surge told me, "so I built an anti-gravity system." He sniggered. "Marvelous wonders of technology, heh…"

He flicked the same switch earlier. The Humvee regained its gravity and it landed on the ground with a thud. Now I knew why we had to take the jump on a fast pace – there was a river behind us.

I straightened myself from the landing and looked ahead. There were a few buildings – yup, it was Cerulean alright! "It's just straight ahead," I said to Lt. Surge. But I began to wonder, "Um, how will you get back the way you came?"

"There's a bridge just a few miles from here," Lt. Surge said.

"Wh-what," I exclaimed, "w-we could've used that instead!"

(Chapter 12) "Is this a downright lie," I asked May as she took her hands of the rail. She placed one hand on mine and said, "I don't think so."

"May," I said to her.

She made a small sound and looked at me.

"I just wish we would be together," May spoke softly, "at least for now."

My wide smile suddenly became smaller as I said, "It's hard to choose between three of my female traveling companions on who to pick for a partner for life."

* * *

**STORY PROPER:**

She was walking down the woods – with five Pokeballs and her backpack with her. She seemed to be wearing a face of loneliness and regret. But she did not dare to stop and turn back – for she also had the inner determination within her to pursue her next part of her career.

The Almia region was located very far away to the west. Therefore, May had to get to Olivine City in the Johto region to get to Kingsley Island somewhere near the Hoenn region before sailing over the region then crossing the Hoenn Sea for the Almia region. However, she would have to stop by Petalburg City, her hometown, to make her preparations and bid farewell to her mother and her younger brother.

Blaziken, Vaporeon, Lumineon, Glaceon, and Venusaur were all safe in their Pokeballs. She felt somewhat secure with her Pokemon, but she didn't seem so secure in her emotions.

And after a long and hard week-long journey to Terracotta Town, May finally arrived in the place. She immediately boarded a ferry that would take her to Petalburg City.

Looking back at the place and the past months she had spent with the entire group made her feel warm yet lonely. She had only met her childhood friend after many long years – and only spoke with him for a few fleeting minutes.

(Chapter 26) _"After all, mom wants me to grow up into an intelligent woman. But seriously, Ash... I was really true in what I said."_

_"M-May we can only stay as friends – just... friends."_

_"Lovers are always best friends... though the relative degree is usually almost mutual. If that's how it has to accept in our case, then it should be the way it is. Ash... it may seem a little far-fetched, but I know how it really feels to fall in love. I am a woman after all..."_

(Chapter 26) _"T-Tristan?"_

_"May."_

_"What are you doing here?"_

_"Well, I did join the Pokemon Contest only to have some fun – while I'm still here."_

_"Huh? What's wrong?"_

_"Well, I'm going home tomorrow... and we're moving out soon."_

_"N-No."_

_"I'm sorry, May."_

_"B-But, it was you who taught me how to love Pokemon. And... and... all those memories with you and Brendan and Vane... what will happen...?"_

_"You've learned a lot already, May. And... And... I really didn't want you to find out until you would get home."_

_"D-Dad..."_

_"I – I'm deeply sorry about what happened to your father. It was shocking... even Brendan and Vale felt so very speechless when they found out."_

_"I – I'll be fine. I'll learn to be free someday."_

_"May, are you leaving soon?"_

_"Leaving for...?"_

_"Someplace else after you get home?"_

_"H-How did you know th-that?"_

_"I didn't want to do it, but I followed the both of you when you went to the Cliff. I've got nothing against the both of you, but when I heard that you were leaving soon... I had to do something."_

_"So what do you want to do now?"_

_"I know that we're childhood friends, and... and... I just want to say goodbye..."_

_"T-Tristan..."_

_"My family made the decision, not me. Mom and dad found a bigger job opportunity in the Sinnoh region... I insisted that we just stay where we wanted to be happy, but I was the only one in the family who negated their decision. And so... I had no other choice."_

_"So... this is it...?"_

_"Brendan and Vane already got the word and they also bid me goodbye, but you haven't. That's when the news came up. I entered the Contest just to find you."_

_"You haven't changed a bit, Tristan. You really are the mad genius."_

_"I – I guess so."_

Painful for her, everything had to be left behind... in a place where she would cherish many memories. But she still had to go back to patch up some memories before she would create new ones.

It meant a lot for May, but she made her decision – one that would seal many more memories to come.

"Ferry is now departing to Petalburg City of the Hoenn region," came the announcement. "All passengers on-board, please prepare your tickets."

May sighed. She went out of her bed and went to the cabin table, where her bag was.

"_Was this supposed to be the right thing to do? Should I really leave everyone back like that?_" It almost didn't seem so fair for her to travel alone into an unknown land. But she had been used to it. She already had kept her promise in going to the Almia Region to participate in the Pokemon Super Contests. But on the other hand, her worry tinged in her so much - she had left Ash back there.

But it was already too late, now that the boat started sailing away from the land, from the city, from her family, from her friends, and sadly, from Ash. When the little speck of green disappeared in the horizon, she let the silent tear she had been holding fall freely.

* * *

Petalburg City hadn't changed a bit, except for the newly opened department store just a few blocks away from May's home. The city life seemed to be back to normal after suffering the heavy loss from Norman's death. May walked down the streets of her hometown and arrived at her home. The first person she saw upon walking into the garden was her mother, who was watering a few daisies.

"I'm home," May said.

When Caroline spotted her daughter, she immediately ran towards her and hugged her. "I'm so proud of you, May," she said. Caroline had watched the Aqua-palooza Water Pokemon Contest in the television, May assumed. "Though you didn't win... it doesn't really matter." Caroline released her. "You make us proud."

"Thanks mom," she thanked her. May looked around for a moment and asked, "Where's Max?"

"Max is in the gym," Caroline answered. "You should see the gym yourself, Max has done incredible progress..."

May seemed a little shocked. "So Max is...?"

Caroline seemed to know what May was about to say and she nodded. "Yes, it was confirmed. Max is the new and official gym leader. Remember Ash, honey? Remember that match..." she stopped there when she saw the sadness and devastation that etched on her daughter's face. "Honey, what's wrong?"

May shook her head and went past Caroline into the house.

She did not want to hear his name again. The lingering memory haunted her – the memory that she would let all the good times flutter away. May couldn't help it... but she kept her word about going to the Almia region. But there had to be a good reason why she left Ash so suddenly... and just at the peak when she expressed entirely her feelings toward him. May felt foolish for doing so, but she hoped that he would understand. She tried to seek some comfort in her bedroom with the photograph of her friends, Ash included, but the longer she looked at the photograph just so the pain made it worse. Yet no tears came out... unlike the moments when she bid the region goodbye.

"May I come in," came a gentle voice from her bedroom door.

May did not care to look at the speaker but she said, "Okay."

She felt her bed descend as a person sat on it. The gentle touch upon her shoulder told her that it was her mother.

"May," Caroline started gently, "are you alright?"

"I'm fine," May murmured. "I'm just... tired." She turned around.

"Why did you frown so suddenly?"

May did not answer. She just looked away.

"Does it have to do anything with your dad?" Caroline asked.

"I'm fine about dad," May answered. "I know he's found peace... and that he's watching over us."

Caroline paused for a moment. As a mother, Caroline had to be in the aid of her daughter. "May, is it about Ash?"

May flinched slightly.

"May," her mother said gently as she stroked May's hair, "if there's anything you want to say, I'll be glad to listen."

Though May did not want to present the perfect opportunity, she had to say it.

"Mom... I want to go to the Almia region."

Caroline blinked. "Y-You plan to be a Pokemon Ranger?"

May jolted. "N-No mom! I heard they opened Pokemon Super Contests!" She sat up immediately. "If I have to pursue my dream of being a Pokemon Coordinator, then I have to join every inch of Pokemon Contests from all around the world." May was looking at her mother hopefully.

Caroline sighed. "I really have no problem with you going to Pokemon Contests... but in the Almia region? That's quite a distance away!"

"I know," May said, "yeah, it's far... but I traveled around the Johto region all by myself!"

After a small discussion and debate over May's proposal, the two of them came to a similar conclusion: May was allowed to go – on one condition, that she would bring only three Pokemon with her. She had no problem with that.

* * *

Two weeks later, on the day before May would leave for the Almia region, her mother gave two gifts: the first, a Contest Set of Capsule Balls and Seals, and the second, a new set of clothes – replacing May's red travel shirt with a green and black one and replacing her old bandana with a new light blue one. Max also had a gift of his own: a Pokeball. But Max told May not to open it until she reaches the Almia region.

The siblings also had a Pokemon battle in the gym. Max decided on a two-on-two double battle.

He brought out his trump cards, Sneasel and Absol, while May used her powerhouses, Blaziken and Glaceon. They battled all-out as they kept arena modifications and put it to their advantage. Max also introduced the new "dark room" modification, similar to where he and Ash battled a long time ago. The "dark room" modification shrouded everyone in the arena but the trainers and the Pokemon could see each other. Absol did not blend well with the darkness, but Sneasel did. Glaceon was quickly knocked out by a swift combination of Night Slash and Iron Tail. May's Blaziken had a little trouble keeping up against Absol and Sneasel, but she pulled through by breaking the modification with an Overheat attack. Sneasel was revealed, and May's Blaziken brought down Sneasel with a fierce Sky Uppercut attack. Absol could not inch closer for fear of Blaziken's fire attacks and its Sky Uppercut attack. But after three Overheat attempts and little luck, May's Blaziken got worn out. Max had the chance as he let Absol send out its Dark Pulse. Blaziken could do little against the incoming attack, but luckily the attack missed. Though Blaziken's Flamethrower hit Absol, it did little damage because the Overheat attacks wore down much of the fire attack's power. Max decided to send his trump move: Water Pulse. The wave of water soared towards Blaziken, who weakened it with another Overheat attack, so weak that it almost had no effect on the Water Pulse. However, Blaziken still stood up on that attack. Absol pulled the final move with its Night Slash as it approached Blaziken at blinding speed. Yet May and her Blaziken were quicker to react as she has it use its Sky Uppercut, having not received an effect from the Overheat attacks. Both attacks found their mark and both Pokemon went down.

May was itching to open the Pokeball Max gave her, but she was unsuccessful in forcing him to tell what was inside the Pokeball. Max gave a useless hint: he found it wandering in the Petalburg Woods. May gave some useful guesses, but Max laughed and said, "It's a Pokemon where it's least expected." She tried to open the Pokeball the way trainers did it, but it never opened. Max was confident that there was a Pokemon inside, but he added that the Pokemon wouldn't come out until the right conditions are suited.

The next morning, just as May was about to leave her home, a letter came for May. The envelope did not have the name of the sender, so May was a bit suspicious.

Because of the condition Caroline gave May, May decided to leave two of her other Pokemon. She visited the greenhouse one last time and bid goodbye to the Pokemon. May decided to bring her Blaziken, Beautifly, and Glaceon, her contest powerhouses.

A teary goodbye followed and May was off for another adventure.

"Do you think May will be okay in her own," asked a slightly worried Max.

Caroline still smiled. "I have full confidence in her safety," she answered. "I know he's with her all the way..."

May took one last look at her home, then one last look at the city before she left to Kingsley Island for the Almia region.

* * *

Kingsley Island was the bridge of six regions, as the island was the central point of the six regions. May arrived in the island that night and boarded the ferry that would take her to the Almia region.

She still had trouble opening the Pokeball, but she did not force it entirely or else the Pokeball would get destroyed. When she finally gave up, her attention put her to the anonymous letter she received that day. Slowly, she opened it. The envelope was quite heavy for one letter, so May assumed that there were several letters. She was right – for there were five letters for May: one each from Misty, Tracey, Brock, Dawn, and Ash.

The first four letters put a smile in May and moved her close to tears, but when it came to Ash, she read it closely. It brought her to a point where she felt brave and she had to stick to her promise. The last words were words May kept close to her heart: "Come back soon, May. I'll be waiting for you. And when you come back, we'll be together."

While the ferry sailed on to the Almia region, May decided to attend a little orientation about the Almia region. The guide handed free maps of the region. May got one herself.

"The region is vast," she muttered. "I guess I need more to cope up."

She paid close attention to what the guide told them.

"The Almia region is famous for the Ranger HQ, where the International Association of Pokemon Rangers gather from all around the world for conferences," said the guide. "Recently, the Almia government also decided to set up Pokemon Contests, so that all the trainers can recognize their potential by being one with their Pokemon. Even the Ranger HQ Chairperson Keith believes in the full potential of the Pokemon. We are all really glad that rangers could bond freely with the trainers and coordinators of the Almia region."

May had heard of Pokemon Rangers, but she didn't think that a whole organization of them would be gathered in one region.

"_Wow,_" she thought wildly, "_this place has got to be awesome!_"

"Aside from Pokemon Rangers," continued the guide, "one of the sights of the region is the newly chartered Hycan Tower, formerly the Altru Tower, where standing at its top will let you see a marvelous landscape far and wide." The LCD behind the guide showed a grand tower. "The tower stands at 2,145 feet just outside Pueltown. It looms over a great dedication to the people that brought about a great legend and journey that made the Almia region the best place for Pokemon Rangers around the world. Other places to see when you're in the Almia region is the Almia Castle, a deserted castle before and now a tourist attraction. Also, a temple shaped like a Hippowdon and an extremely ferocious volcano called Mt. Boyle are other places one must see.

"For the Coordinators listening in to the orientation," called the guide. May sat up and listened closely. "The Almia Coordinators Association has placed eight places to be the sites of Pokemon Contests, but only five ribbons are needed for permission in the Grand Festival." The guide looked around for a moment and said, "Did anybody of you participate in the Aqua-palooza Water Pokemon Contest? If so, please raise your hand."

May and a five others raised their hands.

A slight commotion went out, but the guide quieted it down by asking the ones who raised their hand, "Have you won the Aqua Ribbon? Because the ribbon alone is full entry to the Grand Festival."

Someone stood up and approached the guide.

"Well, well, what do we have here?"

May eyed the coordinator, a tall young lady wearing blue, as she went to the podium and showed the guide the Aqua Ribbon.

"Where did this come from?" the guide asked her.

"The Olivine City Aqua-palooza Water Pokemon Contest," the lady in blue answered.

The guide examined the ribbon closely for a few seconds. When he was done, he spoke up, "Yes, this ribbon is genuine all right and it's a full entry."

The people in the audience, including May, awed and were surprised.

"Yes, this ribbon's a full entry," the lady in blue said gently. "But I'm still entering the Pokemon Contests. I'd really like to know how the Coordinators from the Almia region take the spotlight." She waved her hair aside while saying, "It'd be no fun if I don't do any training and strategic planning. But thanks for the praise, I appreciate it."

Everyone clapped their hands. May herself clapped too, and she thought, "_Even before arriving in the region, I've found myself a rival._"

The orientation finished by noon and everyone went out of the hall and into the deck. But as May was about to head to her cabin, someone tapped her on the shoulder. May turned around.

"Oh, it's you."

It was the lady in blue who stepped forward during the orientation. "Hi, I've seen you... somewhere?" There was a slight hint of doubt.

"Um, have you been to the Cerulean City Aqua-palooza Water Pokemon Contest?" May asked.

"Ah," said the lady, almost sure of herself, "so you're May of Petalburg City, right?"

May nodded. "Uh, nice to meet you."

The lady extended a hand and May shook it. "My name's Selena. I'm a Pokemon Coordinator from Mahogany Town."

Selena and May became friends after that, despite quite the age gap, the two of them got along fine. They shared interests and topics. May felt light-heartened once more to have confided in such a person.

* * *

That night, May invited Selena to her cabin.

"Thanks for coming," May said.

"I wasn't really sure at first, I admit," Selena said apologetically. "But I just want to know a little more about yourself."

"Take a look around," May said, "I'll wash up."

As May was inside the cabin bathroom, Selena looked out the window. A cool blue sea swept the horizon and engulfed the sky with its aesthetic marvel. It was a beautiful sight to behold for Selena, being in the color and all. Her smile was a breeze gentle to blow in the purest sense, and her eyes lit bright aflame with both calculating determination and gentleness. She turned away from the window and noticed something in the table close to the refrigerator. Selena picked it up.

"Is this...?"

She heard the bathroom door open and Selena quickly put it back to where she found it. But May's eyes were just as swift.

"Did you...?"

"I'm so sorry," Selena apologized.

May was not so hard on Selena. She went to where Selena was and picked up the little photograph. May brought the photograph with her from her home.

"Who are those people?" Selena asked curiously.

It took a little while for May to answer, but she let out tears. "They... are my b-best friends."

Selena felt sorry to see her friend cry. "May..."

For the whole night, May shared her experience as a trainer and a coordinator and how she traveled and met with Ash, Brock, and other people. Selena considered May to be fortunate, to go around places and meet new people. She also admitted that she was a bit envious of her travels. But what didn't Selena understand was that May was crying when she looked at the photograph. Did she slip the wrong action? Or was her friend enduring some sort of pain that clung to her heart?

"Selena," May spoke as she held the photograph and showed it to her, "look at the guy standing in the right." She was pointing to Ash.

Selena saw where May was pointing. "Yes, I see... I think I saw him perform in the water Pokemon Contest."

May nodded. "His name's Ash."

Selena nodded and turned to May. "Ash..."

May turned away for a moment. She felt almost afraid. Selena could feel it. "May, if there's something you like to open up, I'll be happy to listen." May looked up at her and saw Selena smile gently.

"Okay," May started her story. "I've been with him for almost four years and we've been very good friends." She found it very difficult to continue, but Selena was there to comfort her. "Just before I left home, I opened up to him... and I said that I loved him."

Selena flinched. "Sorry, go on."

"It all started back when I went back home with Ash because dad fell ill," May continued. "I was feeling all down and scared, but Ash was there to cheer me up." She looked away for a moment and felt herself blush.

"So what happened next...?"

"Well," May continued weakly, "before that part, I had an incident where we got angry with each other... That night, Ash and I apologized... and w-we..." May choked.

Selena patted May on the back. "Well... if you don't want to continue, it's fine by me..."

May put in all her effort to say the words. "We shared our f-first kiss."

"You... kissed?"

May nodded. "At first I thought it was nothing. But the more we got closer, we became more attached... I had attempts to express my feelings towards him... But all those fell short, wh-when..." she started sobbing. Selena put an arm of comfort around May. "All f-fell sh-short wh-wh-when d-d-dad d-died." May kept on sobbing and sobbing, and Selena found it hard to ease her.

"I'm so sorry about your loss," Selena said.

"Though it pained me as much as my younger brother and my mom," May continued while she wiped away her tears, "I tried to be a little more around him. A month passed and we were starting to recover... that was when Ash and I... we made a memory together. I almost felt as if I fell in love with him..."

Selena smiled. "For such a young lass like you, May, you are open to your feelings."

"And a few nights ago before I left Cerulean City for back home to start a new journey," May continued, "I said it... I loved him."

(Chapter 26) _"Wah!" I quickly shuffled May away – slamming her on the ground. "S-S-Sorry... I j-just g-grabbed..."_

_Before I could get up, May tugged my hands once more with both of her hands and muttered, "Ash... I think... I love you..."_

_…_

_…_

_W-WHAT!?!_

_"You're kidding, right?" I eyed her warily._

_May shook her head innocently. She took a deep breath and let it all out. "It's just that... we were still friends back there in Petalburg City when we shared our kiss – I just wanted to forgive you for what you've done to me... and I couldn't let you down." Everything suddenly started to become clear. "And when I said I loved you... I was still unsure if that was the right thing to say – again I couldn't let you down – and..." she looked down with regret but still didn't let go of my hand, "...I feel like I've offended dad by escaping loneliness..."_

"Though I knew there would be consequences of their own," May continued, "there was something else going on through his mind... And he said... that we would just stay as friends."

"So he didn't want to get into a relationship," Selena interpreted.

"N-Not like that actually..."

(Chapter 26) _"M-May," I said, "we can only stay as friends – just... friends."_

_I expected May to frown, but when I looked at her, it was as if she accepted the situation. "Lovers are always best friends... though the relative degree is usually almost mutual." She sighed. "If that's how it has to accept in our case, then it should be the way it is." She turned to look at me and smiled, then said, "Ash... it may seem a little far-fetched, but I know how it really feels to fall in love. I am a woman after all..."_

"So in the end, it was you who accepted the fact," Selena ended.

"Yes," May said. She quickly reacted and reached for her bag. May took out the envelope and opened it. She searched for Ash's letter and found it. "Read this..." she gave it to Selena. Selena took the paper and read through it.

When Selena was finished reading, she looked up at May and said, "It seems as if he could wait until you would come back."

May smiled and nodded.

When the ferry finally landed in the Almia region, May suddenly felt the bubble of excitement ready to burst into a wave of discoveries. Selena did not bother to stop May from her over-excitement. The first destination of the Almia region where the Pokemon Contest would take place was either Vientown, located south of where the ferry landed, or Haruba Village, located southeast of the map. Selena was quite familiar with the region, she told May, because she had been in the region when she was still a young child.

Pueltown was a large place for a town – it was more like a city. May could hardly believe the number of buildings the place could hold. It was probably the size of Petalburg City.

Selena and May onwards accompanied each other as May pursued in her new quest.

"The region is vast," Selena told May, "and there are many Pokemon to be discovered and adventures to undertake. Just as life has endless possibilities where it takes so, so as there are limitless turns we can take. It's a Coordinator's life..."

_As May and Selena walk into the Vien Forest and into a new destination and a new quest, May holds on to the memories that have kept her this far. What new discoveries and quests lie ahead of her? As far as we know, May's voyage she follows is one with determination she brings with her all the way. And she is not alone, as she is with a trusted partner she can count on... a new region, a new journey, a new adventure, a new step forward and a new quest she has to fulfill._

GOODBYE MAY!

* * *

Next chapter on Winner Takes Ash: A Terrible Sight to Behold

"Millie and Hill?" I wondered.

The two people turned around... it seemed I hit the jackpot.

"Ash," Millie said, "it's been a while."

Hill was still working on the device as Millie stepped forward to meet us.

"You're acquainted?" Dawn said to me.

"I met Ash back in the Hoenn region," Millie explained. "I was about to start working as a researcher in the Weather Institute. And just a few months back, I met him as I was making my way to the Johto region."

...

"Pal?" I repeated. I had no idea who these people were, yet they were the first people I saw when I woke up. "Huh?"

The boy laughed. "Don't be playing silly, Ash." The girl let go of me as she wiped her tears. "You know better than I don't take a joke that far."

"Joke?" I said weakly. "Look, I... I don't even know who you are... and I don't even know why I'm here..."

**To be continued...

* * *

**

**Existing chapters:**

**Prologue: The Pokémon Masters**

**Chapter 1: Face-Off**

**Chapter 2: Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3: Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4: Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

**Chapter 5: Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience**

**Chapter 6: Forest and Poisons**

**Chapter 7: It's A Whole New Gym Leader**

**Chapter 8: Brock's Flashback**

**Chapter 9: Pains of the Past**

**Chapter 10: Petalburg Pursuit – To the Maximum!**

**Chapter 11: Bringing Back the Young Days**

**Chapter 12: A Little Taste of Darkness**

**Chapter 13: Nightmares**

**Chapter 14: A Night in the Meadows**

**Chapter 15: The Amazing Transformation**

**Chapter 16: Tidal Terror**

**Chapter 17: Lost From the Tree**

**Chapter 18: Love Fever – Stricken!**

**Chapter 19: Three-Way Hostility**

**Chapter 20: Detection of Infection – A Virus Like No Other!**

**Chapter 21: A Secret of Two Trainers Unveiled**

**Chapter 22: Contest Preparations**

**Chapter 23: Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 24: More Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 25: Still More Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 26: A Girl's Sweetest Dreams**

**Chapter 27: The Voyage A Maple Has to Follow

* * *

**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

I ADMIT! I WAS NOT SERIOUS IN MAKING THIS CHAPTER!!! T_T

We're just a few chapters away from the ending of the first novel. And only did I know that the plot already seems a little too off-the-spot. However, it's the basis for the second novel: Resurrections. The first chapter might be out by around June 2009.

And as said, this is the final chapter for May, and we'll be seeing her around in the second novel. So for now, Goodbye May (sorry die-hard advanceshippers, I needed to give chance to Misty and Dawn).

**PowerZone**


	30. Ch28: A Terrible Sight To Behold

**CHAPTER 28: A TERRIBLE SIGHT TO BEHOLD**

When disaster strikes and there's little to escape it, all what needs is a miracle to occur.

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 25) "Um, uh," KC started, "I guess the majority rules..."

"I'm not opposed to celebrating," Tracey said.

"And that settles it," I told everyone. "Let's celebrate."

(Chapter 27) "May," Caroline started gently, "are you alright?"

"I'm fine," May murmured. "I'm just... tired." She turned around.

"Why did you frown so suddenly?"

May did not answer. She just looked away.

"Does it have to do anything with your dad?" Caroline asked.

"I'm fine about dad," May answered. "I know he's found peace... and that he's watching over us."

Caroline paused for a moment. As a mother, Caroline had to be in the aid of her daughter. "May, is it about Ash?"

* * *

**STORY PROPER:**

"This came for you early this morning, Brock," Misty said. She handed Brock a piece of envelope.

Brock must've some sort of trance that might've said, "_Ooh... must be a love letter from Nurse Joy!_"

I was a little curious myself, though it didn't seem important. But I still focused myself in tossing a berry as Pikachu tried to catch it. Brock opened the envelope almost excitedly and he took out the paper. He read through the letter once, then twice, then thrice... and the more he read it, the more excited he was.

"Oh wow," Brock cheered jubilantly.

Tracey and Dawn arrived in the living room to see what Brock was jubilant about.

"What's the rush?" Dawn asked.

Brock held up the letter. "It's... it's something better than all the pretty girls out there combined," he said, mesmerized.

Tracey took the letter from Brock and read out, "Dearest Brock, how is my grandson doing? Hope you're well. Anyway, I've decided to let you be a special guest in my culinary show here in Fuchsia City. The clan realizes your exceptional cooking skills ("Cooking skills," I muttered) and we're grateful for having such an exceptional grandson. I'll be expecting you in a week."

Pikachu and I turned to Brock, who seemed to be lost in his excitement. "Brock's a lucky guy," I said, and Pikachu nodded.

"The closest I've only been in culinary is making poffins," Dawn said. "I guess cooking with style needs a lot more flair..."

Somehow, I couldn't help the fact that a little tinge was knocking on the door to my heart. Maybe I was just as excited as Brock, or maybe it was something else. A week had passed since May left the place, and things began to get a little lonely. I could sense that the loneliness was getting the better of me – ever since I had felt the sensation when May and I shared the happiness on the past events that transpired. One thing had to be done, I had to get over it and accept the fact that May is far from me. And for some strange reason, I did not feel saddened by her leave. It gave me strength to muster my courage. I said that I would wait until May would return, and wait do I have to do until she would come back and settle everything.

When I got bored with feeling down, I decided to take some challenges like a double battle against Dawn and Misty, water-Pokemon only. Sometimes, Brock came to the gym to train. His Swampert learned and quickly mastered its Ice Beam. On the other hand, Dawn's Empoleon faced off against Brock's Swampert in a quick match. Swampert suffered heavily early into the battle from Empoleon's Brine and Drill Peck, but when it regained momentum, Swampert's Mega Punch and its Mud Shot attacks brought forth. Even if Dawn's Empoleon showed impressive maneuvers of its attacks, Brock made use of the battlefield and match-up advantage, giving him the win. "Brock still has the gym leader blood in him," I commented. But we still knew that Brock was a rock user. Yet lately, his Pokemon match-up seemed almost different.

There were days when we almost didn't say a word to each other for almost no apparent reasons at all, but every night, we almost always had a bonding in the living room.

And it just came one day when Brock decided to accept his grandmother's offer. I had very little knowledge in the culinary but I did learn something from Brock's aroma style when he whips up an incredible stew whenever we went off-road for a while during our travels. Cooking seemed to be Brock's passion, though he almost had a hardy-gentle personality, rare for one to take up cooking. I envisioned him being a wonderful father someday, and for that, I could really say that I was proud of Brock, who became one of my closest friends in journey and in life.

* * *

Brock received three of his Pokemon that afternoon he made his decision. Inside the Pokeballs were his Steelix, Forretress, and Toxicroak (he only brought Swampert with him). As we left the Pokemon Center (with Brock's cheesy goodbye to Nurse Joy and a Poison Jab to the gut from Toxicroak) and went back to Misty's home, Dawn and Tracey seemed revered about having known Brock. So I guessed he was the talk of the clique for the moment. He said that we would leave first thing tomorrow morning.

"W-We," Misty, Tracey, Dawn, and I chorused.

"We," Brock said as he put a little more intonation to the word, "if you mean how it sounds, then it means 'yes' in French." He cleared his throat so that he could avoid the blank faces we were having. "And that it exactly the answer... We are going to visit my grandmother in Fuchsia City." He wrapped his arms around our shoulders and continued, this time a tone more hale, "Trust me guys, I take grandma's cooking by heart and the aroma will linger on your nose for the rest of your lives."

Though we felt excited in going to Fuchsia City, some of us were still doubting.

"Brock, is your grandmother, er, um... strict?" Dawn asked shyly.

Brock laughed as he answered. "You're asking the question with the impossible answer." Then he rubbed his chin and continued, "But there are times when she can be totally whacked and out of place."

"So overall, she's jolly, sometimes careless, but can be enlightening," Misty concluded.

"Yup," Brock said, "and that's her secret to living seventy-nine years and still look like a fifty-year old!" That remark alone made our mouths hang open for thirty seconds as Brock laughed and laughed.

"Y-You gotta be kidding me..." I said disbelievingly.

"That's the Brock we all know and love," Dawn remarked.

When Brock was finished with his laughing refrain, it was my turn to ask, "Hey Brock, have you ever taught your Pokemon how to cook?"

"Well, one time I did," Brock answered ("You talk too much," I heard Dawn whisper), "it went bad – spilled a lot over the place." He clasped his hands together and added, "But my Ludicolo seemed to have grandma's side... and it's good in preparing the recipe for a cake." He mimed something about breaking eggs and beating them with a beater.

"That's the Brock we all know and love," Dawn repeated and sweated.

* * *

We hit the road and into the plains the next day. Misty decided to stay behind to handle with her gym responsibilities. So it was me (Pikachu balancing on the cap on my head), Brock, Dawn, and Tracey. Brock consulted his guidebook as he looked for the fastest route to Fuchsia City without encountering too much urban environments.

"We should have a stop in Lavender Town then south to the fishing village here," he pointed to the places. "And we could walk by the bay then travel west to Chroma Town before arriving in Fuchsia City." Through his slanted eyes, I could notice that there was something Brock was pondering about. "Hey Ash, do you remember how we got to Fuchsia City the first time?"

I tried to recall the path. "Well, it was after I got the Marsh Badge from Sabrina in Saffron City, but we decided to head down the long path to Lavender and southwest to the city."

Brock nodded, "That's how we're going to Fuchsia City."

It was Dawn's first time to come down the planned path, and Brock excited her by saying, "Just after Lavender Town is a village with an open fishing spot. Many trainers come there and fish for wild Pokemon."

Lavender Town was quite a distance from Cerulean City, but we could make it there in ten hours if we went around the rocky path and the Rock Tunnel. The air around us picked up the pace the closer we approached Lavender Town. And speaking of Lavender Town, KC might have earned her eighth badge in Lavender Town. Maybe we could meet her there, or maybe she was off to Indigo Plateau.

"This is unusual," Brock muttered.

The air around us started to pick up speed. Large clouds were starting to build up in the sky.

"That's a cumulonimbus," Tracey told us. "It's a strong sign of a storm up head."

But Brock seemed more cautious than Tracey. "It may as well be a cumulonimbus, but something else is not right..."

"What is?" Dawn asked Brock.

Brock took time to examine the environment as he looked around. "The winds do not normally blow toward the direction of the town... and the wind is not cold enough to produce a thunderstorm."

"So what does it suggest?" I asked him.

"Hey, it's not that I know everything..." he said. But I could have sworn I heard him say, "It could as well be that..."

We arrived in the outskirts of the town by afternoon and we were greeted by an ill weather. Two people in white lab coats were working out some sort of tracking device. The people seemed strangely familiar.

"Millie and Hill?" I wondered.

The two people turned around... it seemed I hit the jackpot.

"Ash," Millie said, "it's been a while."

Hill was still working on the device as Millie stepped forward to meet us.

"You're acquainted?" Dawn said to me.

"I met Ash back in the Hoenn region," Millie explained. "I was about to start working as a researcher in the Weather Institute. And just a few months back, I met him as I was making my way to the Johto region."

"That was when the tidal wave struck," I finished (Chapter 16).

"It was heroic of Mr. Ash to rally all the trainers on board," Hill spoke as he turned towards us. "He did some quick thinking and best figured that everyone fight the tidal wave. And they were successful! The boat just lurched a few ten meters sideways but it wasn't strong to capsize us."

"Whoa Ash," came Tracey, "what made you do it?"

To tell the truth, I really didn't know what made me do it. I just knew that we couldn't escape the tidal wave or bring everyone to safety. But I still remembered that after the incident, I was out for a few days, only to wake up in the Goldenrod Hospital. I could barely remember the events that happened, but I remembered Pikachu using its Volt Barrage to slice the wave in half.

"I swear I could've seen a bright flash somewhere in the middle of the wave and slice the wave in two," Millie said to Hill.

I guess there was no point in hiding the events further. "That was my Pikachu," I told them.

Millie looked at me blankly for a moment and she looked at the Pikachu lolling on my head. "The wave was some kilometers away, I doubt that Pikachu's Thunder attack could be seen for such a distance."

"It was not a Thunder attack," I told them. "It was... something more powerful than that."

But that was when Dawn cut in. "Um, I appreciate about catching up with the times, but I understand that you're meteorologists." Millie turned to Dawn and nodded. "And you could explain to us why the weather around here is going crazy."

That's when it suddenly clicked. I think I could support the explanation. Now what was that she said...?

"Tornado..."

"I'm sorry," Millie caught the word.

"Millie," I said to her, "while we were aboard that ferry, I remembered you saying about weather going out of control... and that included tornadoes in the Lavender Town area." I could feel the sinking feeling going on. "And if I'm not mistaken, you are here to investigate the weather right?"

Millie took a deep breath. "That's correct. We've spotted possible signs of tornadoes that can spurn in the area anytime. Best we stay cautious and flee if they come too close."

"Hold on," Tracey interrupted. "You said 'possible signs.' Does that mean there may be more than one?"

Millie paused for a moment. For a minute, I thought she wasn't sure, but she turned to Hill. "Hill, what are your readings?"

The weather-holic, Hill, was checking in his tracker. "Mr. Ash, remember the time when I figured out the tidal wave possibility?"

"Uh, yes," I answered.

"Then we have another possibility," Hill continued, "rather... more possibilities. Possibilities of multiple tornadoes."

Those two words were enough to make us flinch.

"Over there!" Dawn yelled as she pointed to our right.

Millie, Hill, and the rest of us looked to where she pointed. The clouds seemed to be swirling around as it started to descend slowly in a spiraling manner. The air suddenly became faster as we watched the weather marvel unfold.

"It's a tornado!" Tracey exclaimed.

The forming tornado was four miles from where we were.

"Hill, what's the degree," we heard Millie call Hill.

It took a while for Hill to answer. "It's an F-2 tornado. This is strong!"

"Guys," Millie called us, "we'll have to flee before that tornado makes a touchdown."

"Why so?" I called over the roaring noise of the wind.

"Because it's coming towards us," Hill yelled in desperation.

Hill was right. The forming tornado, even before the bottom tip touched down to the ground, was already gaining to our direction. We had no time to hesitate. "Run!" Brock called.

Eager to escape from the disaster, all of us ran to the direction of the town. It was a hilly run down, but we could still make it in time and tell everyone who weren't alert yet.

"Bad news," we heard Hill call again.

"Just as the first is bad, could the second be worse," Dawn yelled.

"I'm afraid it can't be helped," Hill yelled over the roaring wind. "The degree of a tornado is measured by its strength. An F-2 tornado picks up about a hundred miles per hour. F-3 tornadoes and F-5 tornadoes pick up even greater speeds." We still struggled to escape from the incoming natural monster as we caught sight of the Pokemon Tower. "The bad news is that I'm picking up signs of the second tornado... forming at right where we're headed!"

Suddenly, all of us stopped. "WHAT!"

Hill continued to check his readings. "This tornado is a killer one... an F-5!"

My head looked up on its own. Right above the town, another tornado was starting to form. The radius must've been twice the length of the first one.

"We're trapped!"

An F-2 headed on our way... and an F-3 just close by. I knew that we were trapped. But this still didn't mean that we could not escape. I just had to think of a way – a plan that would help us get through. I achieved in making the impossible possible when I rallied the trainers to battle the wave. But this time, I was just in a group of very few people. There was one way... but it was very risky. There was a way to escape the combined power of the two natural monsters. But it involved a high stake.

"We can still make it," I told them. I noticed that Pikachu was hanging on to my vest

"How can we get through this when we're caught in the middle," Brock called. "We're done for!"

"Does anyone of you have an electric or a flying Pokemon?" I asked them.

Miraculously, Hill had a Manectric and Millie had a Pidgeot. It would be good enough for the plan. I threw two Pokeballs in the air and out came Swellow and Staraptor.

"What are you trying to do?" Tracey asked.

"What's the best thing against a flying-type Pokemon?" I asked them.

"Electric, rock, and ice," Brock answered. Then he suddenly said, "I get it! You want to shut down the power of the tornado by counteracting it by the wind's weaknesses!"

"Exactly," I said.

"It's a crazy idea," Millie exclaimed. "Against an F-2 and an F-3, there's no match for a few Pokemon against it."

But Hill seemed to have different thoughts. "I think it might just work."

We all turned to what he thought. "A tornado is generated when hot air in the ground and cold air above combine to form intense pressure in the wind. Electricity attracts the much needed lightning to tear through the pressure of the tornado. So what Mr. Ash is trying to do is actually _let the tornado catch us, and just as it hits us should the electric Pokemon conjure a strong thunder to weaken it!_"

Hill's theory was correct – no doubt for errors. "That's right..." I looked around. "But the surrounding is too tight. If we leave it like this, we can get electrocuted when the precise moment comes."

Brock had an idea. "I'll send out Swampert to use Earthquake to swamp us in mud," he said. "Mud strongly resists electricity. And it can also add a little weight against the wind."

"Good idea," I told him.

The earthquake attack swamped all of us and we were coated in mud. The two tornadoes were getting closer. The first one already touched the ground and was nearing its way to where we were.

"What about the Pokemon?" Dawn said.

Pikachu, Manectric, Pidgeot, Swellow, and Staraptor – the Pokemon in reserve – were eager to take the wind on.

"Dawn, do you remember what we did back in the Viridian Forest?" I asked her.

Dawn tried to recall the events that transpired when we were going through the forest as we made our way to Pewter City (Chapter 6). "I remember, Pikachu and Staraptor formed an electric tornado around us to shield us from the Beedrill!"

"That's my plan," I called.

"But the Beedrill were able to break it through," Dawn doubted. "I highly doubt that we could be protected from two tornadoes like that!"

"Which is why we have Manectric, Pidgeot, and Swellow," I finished the sentence. "They could help increase the power." I turned to Hill and asked him, "What moves does your Manectric know?"

"Well," Hill replied as clearly as he could, "Thunder, Thunderbolt, Discharge, Charge, Charge Beam..."

"Thunder and Thunderbolt are fine," I told him. "As long as your Manectric is quick enough."

"So what's the plan," Tracey asked.

"Pikachu," I called. "Volt Tackle around us – as fast as you can! Staraptor, Whirlwind around us in the opposite direction Pikachu is going!" As soon as these commands were called, Pikachu and Staraptor maneuvered their moves. Slowly, a spark issued from where Staraptor and Pikachu met. But the increasing wind power made it more difficult for them to continue. "_I believe in you Pikachu and Staraptor. You can do this._"

"You reckon we should do the same," Hill asked Millie.

"Your Manectric should close in on us," Millie suggested. "My Pidgeot will have to fly a little farther from us."

Manectric and Pidgeot made the same maneuver as Pikachu and Staraptor. Swellow was the only one left.

"Swellow," I called, "pick up the pace and fly with Pikachu's direction!"

The five Pokemon were already encircling close. This was what I wanted: Swampert's Earthquake would've loosened the ground a little bit so that Pikachu and Manectric could run faster without worrying about tripping. Everytime their electricity came into contact with a flying Pokemon, a spark shot out. If I could line the sparks from the flying Pokemon, we could attract a giant bolt of electricity – and at the precise moment, it could strike through the tornado just as the two natural monsters could hit us. But there was something else I had to do... if I could power up the efficiency of the electricity, then there could be a way.

"Brock," I called, "have your Swampert use Rain Dance!"

"You're lucky it learned the move," Brock called out. "Swampert, Rain Dance now!"

Swampert, who was huddled beside Brock, shot a blue orb to the sky. Eventually, the wind picked up and we felt drops of water coming down as they were led by the tornadoes' winds. But the rain was strong enough so that Pidgeot, Swellow, and Staraptor would be soaked.

"This is it," I called.

"Everyone gather round and hold hands," Tracey yelled.

The F-3 tornado had just made touch down and was coming to our direction.

"Hey," Dawn called, "I was wondering: can two tornadoes fuse together?"

"They can't," Hill answered. "And one good thing: their wind power does not get any stronger, because the strongest speed of two tornadoes in the same spot is the stronger wind speed between the two. Also, the weaker of the tornado will get blown away by the strength of the stronger one."

"Get ready," Brock called, "for the wild ride of our lives!"

The spark that kept on emanating from the contact of the electric Pokemon and the flying Pokemon became stronger. Two or three sparks simultaneously came out.

And then it came... the rumble of thunder overhead. The first shot of lightning, a weak one, struck just outside the electric tornado. Dawn yelped.

"Keep it up," I called out to the Pokemon.

The tornadoes inched closer to where we were as lightning that struck suddenly started to gain more power.

"Here they come," Millie yelled.

The winds were too strong and it was as if we were almost about to release each other because of the slippery grip the rain produced. I did not oversee this action – a grave mistake that could even cost one of our lives. If one of us were to slip out from the grip, then there would be a serious problem. Pikachu and Manectric did not seem to give up, neither did Swellow, Pidgeot, and Staraptor. The sparks were strong enough to attract a destructive force of lightning that could tear through the tornado.

"Where's the damned lightning?" Hill yelled.

Hill's question was answer when we were greeted by a strong flash of light. The tornadoes were just a few fifty meters away when the lightning struck. The lightning struck the points where the flying Pokemon were, but Pikachu and Manectric were there to absorb the power. This created some sort of chain lightning so that it could shoot out one hundred volts of electricity.

But there was a serious catch, for I was wearing my gloves. And my gloves get slippery when they get wet. There was no time for me to take them off. I started fearing.

Brock's Swampert still stood in the middle of the circle. Swampert, being a heavy Pokemon, took on the force of the wind as it dug its feet underground.

We felt the wind suddenly decrease their power as the lightning tore through the wind barrier. But as seconds passed, so did my grip with Dawn and Brock. And that was when...

"Ash, you're slipping!" Dawn called.

"I'm... holding on..." I struggled. My right glove was very slippery I couldn't hold on. But there should still have been enough time for us to endure the tornado. Pikachu and Manectric couldn't take it anymore. Pidgeot, Swellow, and Staraptor were already being directed by the force of the tornadoes. But for some strange reason, the four Pokemon returned themselves to their Pokeballs.

"Pikachu," I called, "get in your Pokeball!"

Even if Pikachu had to protest, I had to do it – for all our safety! The tornadoes were fully magnetized. The spare Pokeball, however, was inside my bag, and there was nothing I could do to get it, unless...

"The wind's picking down," Brock called. "The tornadoes have been magnetized!"

"Your Pikachu's in danger!" came Dawn.

My mind was struggling... "Pikachu's Pokeball is inside my bag. I have to put it in!"

"No Ash," Tracey warned. "You'll be blown away!"

"But if Pikachu can't be inside its Pokeball, it'll be blown away as well," I protested, "I have to risk it!" And it was not just an ordinary risk – it was almost... a sacrifice.

"Ash!"

"Dawn and Brock, hold onto each other!" I yelled. And immediately, I released their grip. Dawn and Brock quickly joined hands together.

I only had ten seconds to do so before the wind could blow me away. But I was able to get Pikachu's Pokeball and return it. Just when the bright red ray disappear into the Pokeball was the time when I got lifted off the ground with the wind's power.

"ASH!"

I thought it was over... until something caught tug of my hand. When I looked down, it was Brock's Swampert! But it was still slippery. I still couldn't hold on.

"Hold on, Ash!" came Brock's voice. "Swampert, Ice Beam on your hand holding Ash!"

Swampert's Ice Beam was unsuccessful, because the moment it came out of its mouth, the beam shot off to another direction to where the wind was blowing. The tornadoes were already right on us.

"I... can't hold... on!"

"ASH! NO!"

The grip got loose... and I found myself flying up in the air.

Just then, BAM!

The strongest surge of lightning burst down to where the circle was. Swampert, being a ground-type, would absorb most of the lightning so that the surge done to the people would be weakened. But as I was in the air, the lightning flooded through every flesh and blood in my body. It was a sickening and a gruesome pain – brutally beaten up with a billion volts of electricity... a sure killer.

My life is done...

"Ash!"

"Ash!"

"ASH!"

"Ash..."

"Ash..."

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Wh-Where am I?"

…

"Am I...?"

…

"N-No, I couldn't have survived that..."

"Am I?"

I could only force myself to open my eyes – and I was greeted by a white blinding light. My eyes couldn't blink – perhaps this white was the first color I would see when I got there... maybe? The white color was so wonderful. And what was I lying on? It was soft and comfortable – just like the fluff of clouds.

"Ash... Ash!"

"Everyone... he's waking up!"

Then my eyes and ears opened to the surroundings – and I heard the beeping sounds of the electrocardiograph. The sounds of people and buzzing noises filled my ears. But there was one thing I could not stand – my head hurt, bad.

_"Where was I? What am I doing? How did I come to be here?"_ were the questions that echoed in my head when I saw the faces looking down at me. I know who I am... I'm Ash Ketchum... But the people around me... who were they? A girl with dark blue hair and a spiky-haired dark person were looking down at me. I stared and blinked back at them. Wh-Who were they?

"Ash," said the girl, "you're awake! We were so worried of you!" And with that, she embraced me and started weeping. "We thought y-you..."

The dark boy patted my shoulder as he said, "It's good to see y-you're awake, old pal."

"Pal?" I repeated. I had no idea who these people were, yet they were the first people I saw when I woke up. "Huh?"

The boy laughed. "Don't be playing silly, Ash." The girl let go of me as she wiped her tears. "You know better than I don't take a joke that far."

"Joke?" I said weakly. "Look, I... I don't even know who you are... and I don't even know why I'm here..."

I watched the two people look at each other and exchange grim glances.

"Brock," said the girl. I assumed that this boy's name was Brock. "What's happened to him?"

The boy named Brock rubbed his chin and looked down. "His head was badly bruised when we saw him among the debris of the Pokemon Tower. And if we can say that he's not joking about not recognizing us," he looked up at Dawn then frowned, "then there's only one thing that's happened to him: he's afflicted... with amnesia."

"Amnesia?" said the girl.

"Amnesia, in Pokemon battles, increases the user's special defense," Brock started explaining. "But when a human is affected by amnesia, he or she cannot recall things or remember them. His condition must affect that he could not recognize us." Then I watched him look at me. "Do you remember your whole name?"

At least that was the question I could answer. "Uh, I'm Ash Ketchum."

"The range of the amnesia is not severe, at least," Brock said, almost relieved. "It could take some months for him to gain his memory."

Just then, another concerned person stepped in. This person had a headband wrapped around his forehead. "Is Ash awake? Thank goodness!"

"He's alright," the girl answered grimly, "but he's in a bad condition."

"Huh? Why so?" said the headband-ed boy.

The girl looked at me worryingly and turned back to the boy, "He's affected with amnesia."

The boy flinched. "Am-Amnesia? N-No way!"

"At least he can remember his name," Brock said. "So I figured that this condition is not sever for him."

"What should we do?" asked the girl. "I – I don't want Ash to be in this for the rest of his life!" It seemed as if the girl was concerned about me. "What if he does not recognize his Pikachu at all?"

Pikachu...?

Brock looked down as he tried to think. "It's said that you can counter amnesia with a strong shock to the victim – like a blow to his head. But his head is badly bruised for anyone to send a good blow to his head." He started pacing around the room as he continued explaining, "I've heard that they can recall part of their memories when they are shown objects that pertained to their defining moments in their lives."

"His badges!" the girl said excitedly.

"But his badges are at his home and we're in Fuchsia City, quite a distance away," said the other boy. "We have to find something else."

The girl was still looking at Brock as if she was expecting an answer out of him. "Pikachu still needs to recover for another week after suffering from the heavy impact in its Pokeball."

Brock clasped his hands together. "I guess the best thing we could do is talk to him about what he did recently. It should shake his memory a little, but he'll remember." And with that, he went out of the room.

Now what was I to do? Talk to some strangers who were looking at me uneasily.

"Are you alright?"

My head still hurt. I could feel my brain pounding as I clutched it. "I'm fine... my head feels a little uneasy..." I looked back at the two worried people. Maybe I should get to the bottom of my memory. "Hey," I asked the boy with the headband. "how is it that you know me so much but I don't know you at all?"

"This is serious," the boy muttered to the girl. "Y-You think we should introduce ourselves?"

"Maybe," the girl muttered. "I guess it'll ease his memory a little."

The two of them turned back to me.

"Um, Ash, I know it's not really so formal," said the boy, who grinned a little, "but it'll be a way for you to regain your memory." He cleared his throat. "Well, my name's Tracey Sketchit. I'm a Pokemon Watcher from the Orange Islands." I was sure he felt embarrassed from saying it.

"And I'm Dawn from Twinleaf Town," said the girl. "I'm a Pokemon Coordinator, that is... I participate in contests."

The two names... they almost seemed familiar. "Tracey... Dawn..."

I wasn't really sure at that time if I was really afflicted with amnesia or if my head was too hurt to remember anything. But when they said their names, it began to click inside my head. Overall, I wasn't so sure if they were the ones.

"Listen Ash," Tracey said to me, "do you know what a Pokemon is?"

My head was starting to ease. "W-Well, yeah, I think so..."

"You think so?" Dawn repeated.

I watched Tracey move away for a little while and search through a backpack situated in the corner of the room. He pulled out what seemed to be a sketchpad. He approached me and opened the sketchpad.

"Ash, I want you to identify the Pokemon you'll see in the following pages of my sketchpad," Tracey instructed. He started to open the sketchpad.

The first page of the sketchpad showed a flock of birds.

"I think that's a group of... Pidgey."

Without Tracey announcing if I was correct of not, he flipped the next page, which showed a little purple rat with very big front teeth.

"Should that be a Rattata?"

Again, Tracey flipped the next page. The third page showed a weird flower with its head looking like a bell.

"A bell-headed Pokemon... Bellsprout."

Tracey flipped the page once more; this time, the page was not colored like the first three pages, but the pencil sketches showed a very obese Pokemon that seemed to be fast asleep.

"Hmm... a Snorlax, I guess?"

Tracey flipped the page for the fourth time. The next page was colored – a pink almost spherical Pokemon with very big teary eyes. I was pretty sure what this Pokemon was.

"Jigglypuff!" And with that, Tracey closed the sketchpad.

The girl, Dawn, who did not look at the sketches because she was behind Tracey, leaned closer to Tracey and said, "So what's the result?"

Tracey put away the sketchpad. "Well Ash, this proves that you do know about Pokemon." Then he started wondering again. "So maybe your amnesia affects the way you know Pokemon but can't seem to remember people..."

Just as I was supposed to say something, we heard voices from outside the room. There were about two or three people who seemed be arguing.

"Where is he? I have to see him."

"Please, calm down. We just received word that he's awake, but this is not the time for visiting hours."

"Doctor, I know it's late, but we have to ensure our son's safety..."

The argument of the people outside continued, but I began to wonder: how long was I out? And what time was it already? "Um, Tracey, how long was I unconscious? And wh-what happened before I was unconscious?"

Dawn patted me on the shoulder. "Ash... you've risked your life to save a town of twenty thousand people." She started to cry again. "What you've did – to face against nature in order to save a whole town, putting our lives on the line..."

"...it's heroic," finished Tracey. "Your plan worked and the forces of the tornadoes gradually weakened until it was no stronger than a simple wind storm."

"T-Tornadoes?" I wondered.

"The tornado destroyed the Pokemon Tower," Tracey continued. "You were blown away by the tornado fifty feet into the air... and we found you among the debris of the Pokemon Tower."

"So the cause of his amnesia," Dawn concluded, "could be that you landed heavily and your head must've made some sort of severe... um, contact. Just as Brock explained earlier..."

Was that really the entire truth? Was I blown away by a tornado? And what did I do to save an entire town from a cataclysmic consequence? But I could remember something more than that... so how did I really come to be this way?

"You were unconscious for almost a week," Tracey said. "Every day passed that you didn't open your eyes, we were getting more and more frustrated."

The debate outside the room still progressed, this time with voices rising and complaints becoming more intense. For a minute, we listened... and the next minute, the voices began to go down. It seemed that the debate ended when I heard the doctor's voice, "Okay, we'll provide an exception. But it should only be the two of you – and nobody else." And after that, everything went quiet.

"Ash," came Brock's voice, "your parents are here."

My parents? I wondered if I would recognize my parents, because all that time, I never knew who my parents were. But if I could see their faces – then I could maybe get a little recollection. I watched the hospital room open as three people walk in. My eyes became blurry and my mind started shutting down. I was getting sleepy from understanding too much things in too little time. I had to rest.

But I did make the figures of Brock and my supposed mother coming into the room – and my mother coming forward and weeping uncontrollably as she hugged me. My head was still focused, yet I tried to make the figure of my father coming inside the room. I couldn't see properly. As the tall figure of my father approached towards my hospital bed, my eyes continued to black out. But just as my consciousness nulled, I heard the words that he said...

"_My son... I'm so proud of you..._"

"Dad..."

…

* * *

…

"Dad..."

…

I could listen faintly to voices... "Ash?"

…

"He's moaning... he's conscious!"

…

My eyes opened once more. The first thing I did was look to where my father was standing... but nobody was there... just a person looking closely at me. I couldn't see my mother or my father anywhere. But I was still in the hospital. Was I dreaming?

"Ash, you're finally awake!"

Finally awake...? I swear I could've lost my memory... but for some reason, I knew where the voice came from and who it belonged to. My eyes focused on the person watching over me. It was Dawn. When I said her name, she ran up to me and embraced me hard as she said my name again and again.

Now I knew... that my memory loss was only a dream.

Because I knew remembered that I was knocked out when I tried to rescue Pikachu from drowning in the tidal wave incident, the time when I stood proud and high raising the Sinnoh Golden Conference Champion Cup, the Cerulean City Aqua-palooza Water Pokemon Contest, and the worse-case scenario – the tornadoes of Lavender Town. I remembered them all too clearly: the places, the events, the people involved, where I stood, what I did, and what happened. It came to show that I was only dreaming.

"Dawn..."

* * *

I discovered later on after my mother, who came with Brock and Misty, that I was unconscious for six days and that I was luckily caught into the arms of one of the residents of the town. Lavender Town had suffered serious damage from the tornado, but luckily only twenty were injured and that there were no casualties. Was it miraculous? Or was it the action that almost took my life with the cost of saving everyone and all the Pokemon that were in the wake of disaster? To this day that I was released from the hospital I still couldn't find the answer. Many people considered it a miracle, but only six people knew that it was more than just a miracle – it was heroic.

Brock resumed with his offer from his grandmother, who visited one day in my hospital room and let me have a preview of her incredible dish, though I could never really describe it by its look, smell, or taste. But I knew that the dish was the most scrumptious I've tasted in my whole life. His grandmother, a chef and also starring in the culinary show "Food For Thought," and Brock were exceptional in TV as we watched Brock pull off great maneuver in his cooking abilities and often joking which made the audience laugh occasionally. I was at the hospital when I watched Brock and his grandmother perform. At the end of the show, Brock made these remarks over the television, "Hey Ash, speedy recoveries. You know what you've done... and you know how much a million or more people have known of your heroic actions."

I was released from the hospital seven days prior to my awakening, and the Fuchsia City mayor paid the hospital fees – having realized the truth of the matter. As for Lavender Town, the mayor said that the place will be back and running soon, and that the Pokemon Tower will undergo a serious change and reconstruction.

Pikachu recovered the day before I was released from the hospital. I had been clutching Pikachu's Pokeball when I was tossed into the air. When I landed, the Pokeball must've taken a serious damage and causing serious trouble for Pikachu, who was inside it. But if it weren't for Pikachu inside its Pokeball, who knows what would happen to Pikachu?

If I was recognized for the bravery of saving a whole town from the brink of disaster, then there was supposed to be someone who should know – someone who was still missing from the puzzle. I wonder if _she_ knew about it. But one thing was for sure: she was already far, enjoying the new place and the new adventures she was facing.

I was both lucky and blessed to be alive after a fifty-foot toss and a fifty-foot drop. Maybe the stroke of luck steered my flight path.

And now I was back on the road with my three other companions and Pikachu on my shoulder who were with me when the disaster struck. The event was branded hard into my mind and in my heart – an unforgettable string of events laid to rest as memories. Brock, Dawn, and Tracey (Misty had to go back to the gym because of an urgent call from her sisters) were cheerful as they walked side-by-side with me, and we walked to the direction of Cerulean City.

A sweep of disaster could strike anytime anywhere and nobody knows when they're in danger or not. It just comes in the blink of an eye. It takes all the guts and the courage to think and act fast should the danger strike and where we're within the danger zone. Just by doing the right thing and sometimes taking risks can save millions of lives. When things don't seem to go as planned but ends up successful, it could only be a miracle. Though it pained the victims of the tornado, I felt that there was hope for them – they should not give up, because some day their prayers would be answered. I guess that's how life was supposed to go. We take risks, we make sacrifices, and as a result – there is success, just like in Pokemon battles. But it was a battle in life: a make or break. And actions can sometimes lead us towards what is greater or astray, even going as far as danger. In this case, perhaps, it was more of a miracle, I really admit. It was a miracle that occurred in the least I expected. I deeply owe my gratitude to the ones who were with me make the impossible possible: Brock, Dawn, Tracey, Millie, and Hill and the Pokemon who battled all out against the natural monsters. Just those thoughts alone made me go on and move forward to a new kind of life – when the dawn of new hope would arise should I look at the rising sun to go for things even greater.

WHAT'S NEXT FOR ASH?

* * *

Next chapter on Winner Takes Ash: Not All Waterflowers Are Always Blue

"_Though my fear of Gyarados got the better in my life, it never made me think twice about using water Pokemon. I was only seven or eight years old at that time when my sisters gave me my fishing rod. And the first Pokemon I ever caught with that rod was a Magikarp. Though I knew that a Magikarp would evolve into a Gyarados, I used this factor as my energy – a driving source for me to perform excellently in handling my gym duties and my personal life._

"_I was youngest of six: with two older brothers, now working as Pokemon researchers in a faraway region, and my three older sisters, Lily, Daisy, and Violet. Though we were a happy family, most of the priorities were given to the youngest and the eldest. I didn't consider it back then, but I only admit now that I could've been a spoiled brat._

_…_

"_Only my eldest brother had the courage to stand up against the family's desired match-up as he stuck to using ground and poison types. One time, after he came back from his journey some few years after he started embarking, my three sisters, being the gym leaders, decided to pit him to a non-gym battle, with no stakes raised. I could still remember it so well, because I was there... watching the whole suspense unfold as I sat in my mother's lap._

"_He did not care if it were in a pool, and as he sent his Rhydon against Lily's Starmie, the blaze and passion that brought forth from his eyes and his heart sought about the confidence. We were all surprised to see when his Rhydon dove into the water without any fear of its natural weakness at all. I must've thought at that time that being from a family where water stands in its name, he should know how to counteract it with its natural weaknesses._

**To be continued...

* * *

**

**Existing chapters:**

**Prologue: The Pokémon Masters**

**Chapter 1: Face-Off**

**Chapter 2: Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3: Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4: Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

**Chapter 5: Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience**

**Chapter 6: Forest and Poisons**

**Chapter 7: It's A Whole New Gym Leader**

**Chapter 8: Brock's Flashback**

**Chapter 9: Pains of the Past**

**Chapter 10: Petalburg Pursuit – To the Maximum!**

**Chapter 11: Bringing Back the Young Days**

**Chapter 12: A Little Taste of Darkness**

**Chapter 13: Nightmares**

**Chapter 14: A Night in the Meadows**

**Chapter 15: The Amazing Transformation**

**Chapter 16: Tidal Terror**

**Chapter 17: Lost From the Tree**

**Chapter 18: Love Fever – Stricken!**

**Chapter 19: Three-Way Hostility**

**Chapter 20: Detection of Infection – A Virus Like No Other!**

**Chapter 21: A Secret of Two Trainers Unveiled**

**Chapter 22: Contest Preparations**

**Chapter 23: Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 24: More Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 25: Still More Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 26: A Girl's Sweetest Dreams**

**Chapter 27: The Voyage A Maple Has to Follow**

**Chapter 28: A Terrible Sight to Behold

* * *

**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

This has got to be a really long chapter! Whew! But I really liked the idea of Ash developing amnesia... I thought it would be unique. But yeah, the amnesia was only a dream – thank goodness!

It really had me wondering when I put there that Lavender Town had a gym leader, and that the whole place fell into a devastating ruin. Anyway, in the next chapter, we'll be looking into Misty's past – ten years ago into the time before the days she was assigned the gym leader. I'm not really sure how the entire storyline went, but it'll involve the whole family. What compelled Misty's older sisters to pursue a career of glamour and leaving the youngest sister to take care of the gym? Who was the real gym leader before Misty had to step in and take charge? We've seen Brock's flashback in Chapter 8, now we'll see Misty's own flashback – a flashback of drama and family feud.

**PowerZone**


	31. Ch29: Not All Waterflowers Are Blue

**CHAPTER 29: NOT ALL WATERFLOWERS ARE ALWAYS BLUE**

When we see someone as we see them in their lives, we just don't know that a pitfall of secrets lie in wait for us to be discovered.

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 18) Misty answered, "My heart sought out for that one person who would look out for me when I'm in trouble… and I learned so many things about life just by staying by his side."

Oh man, if ever those words could reach my heart, I could just do Explosion on the spot.

"S-So who is this guy you're talking about?"

"He's sweet and nice – and even if we have fights, I know by heart that he's doing it for the sake for us…"

Those words were starting to pierce.

(Chapter 24) "Misty," I said to her before we split ways to arrive at different ends of the battlefield.

"Yeah?"

"Give it all you've got," I told her.

Misty smiled and held out a hand. I took it and we shook hands.

"Let's make this a fight worth remembering," she said.

* * *

**STORY PROPER:**

**This chapter is another filler... you can skip this to Chapter 30: Return of Team Rocket – With a Twist! or you can read on to find out more of Misty's past. Actually, this chapter is how I perceive Misty's life the way it ran in her family... Read on.**

Back in Cerulean City, the gym leader closed the gym for today. The sun was already setting down and the urban sprang alive suddenly. The orange-haired girl arrived back in her home after a hard day's work. She lost the gym battle spectacularly and had to give out the worthy Cascade Badge. But when she arrived home, she noticed that her sisters weren't around. "Must be out, I guess," Misty said to herself as she prepared dinner for herself. But as she went to her bedroom, there was a note tucked on her door.

"_Misty, we'll be in Saffron City for three days. Sorry about not having told you earlier because we didn't want to distract in your gym match. Anyway, we have full confidence in you capable of handling the house. Until then... Your sisters_"

Misty sighed as she got the note and went inside her bedroom. She flicked the switch on and tucked the note inside her dresser.

So she would be alone in the house – for three days. "Boy, I wished they were back," she muttered as she went to the kitchen to finish with preparing her dinner.

The city was settling down with the contest aftermath, and Misty's home fell in dead silence. She knew she was alone, but she also knew that her mind was racing and pacing with many disturbing things going on in mind. Misty had arrived just a few days ago after discovering that Ash had a major injury. She had complete confidence in his recovery – she knew it too well, because she was there when Ash nearly drowned in the tidal wave incident.

From her dresser, Misty walked a few steps to the cabinet, where most of her family pictures kept inside glass frames were placed. No matter where she went, the thoughts that clouded in her mind were always memories in her family. Misty could feel that a flashback was coming back to her...

"_Everything came back in a flash the moment I saw this picture..._"

Misty was holding a family picture – she was the smallest person in the picture and she hardly looked like she was older than six or seven years old. There were eight of her in the family – her mother, her father, her three sisters, and two other guys who were Misty's brothers. Misty was being carried by her tall and strong father. The picture seemed to have been taken by the edge of the Cliff of Solace in the Cerulean Cape. Misty caught the sight of the fishing rod in the picture and her father was holding it in his free hand.

"_Though my fear of Gyarados got the better in my life, it never made me think twice about using water Pokemon. I was only seven or eight years old at that time when my sisters gave me my fishing rod. And the first Pokemon I ever caught with that rod was a Magikarp. Though I knew that a Magikarp would evolve into a Gyarados, I used this factor as my energy – a driving source for me to perform excellently in handling my gym duties and my personal life._

"_I was youngest of six: with two older brothers, now working as Pokemon researchers in a faraway region, and my three older sisters, Lily, Daisy, and Violet. Though we were a happy family, most of the priorities were given to the youngest and the eldest. I didn't consider it back then, but I only admit now that I could've been a spoiled brat._

"_Many things in the family had been going on... from the daily family life to the outings to the bondings... sometimes feuds between siblings and often between parents. It was an unending back-and-forth channel of discovery of life for everyone. My family was and still is considered my best textbook – where experience is my best teacher. Life provided me with so many, I feel so happy for these provisions. These events have helped me who I really want to be – more than just a gym leader, but someone who can be special to somebody in a special way._"

She set the photograph down to where she picked it up and walked out of the room. Misty went back to the kitchen to check on the dinner. The food seems to be prepared, Misty thought. She whipped herself a tasty meal and set it on the dining room. She was going to eat alone. Yet it deeply reminded her of the times when her family would always gather on the table to share their meals. Misty would sit between her brothers, who were not exactly cruel to her, but they were more of pranksters. It sometimes annoyed her three older sisters, when one of her brothers would fling a seed of rice across the table almost undetected and often it hit their plates.

**Misty's Flashback (Part 1): SIBLINGS**

"_Carter and Adrian, my two brothers... sometimes, they can pull pranks. Yet they pull them with such cleverness and ingenuity that sometimes they become innovations. But sometimes, they were too passionate that they would always pit Pokemon battles against each other – not that there was sibling rivalry, but for the fact that they just love to battle. Because of so many tantrums that occurred during the battles, we decided to expand the yard just so they can have a constructive battlefield._"

The two trainers were pitting their Pokemon in the park; it was a one-on-one battle. The two trainers were Misty's brothers, Carter and Adrian. It almost seemed that the match caught the attention of many as Misty's father, the gym leader that time, decided to referee the match. No serious stakes were involved, but one had to be humiliated in the outcome.

"This will be a one-on-one battle," Misty's father said to the battlers. "Each trainer will have to follow the rules set by every battle and as set by rules and regulations accepted internationally." He raised both of his hands in a V-manner that signified the start of the battle. "When both trainers are ready, the match will begin." The referee looked at both sides, in which both trainers nodded. "Let the match begin!"

Carter, the cool-gray haired trainer and the eldest brother of the family, got ready with his Pokeball. "Let's go Poliwrath!" He threw it into the battlefield as the Pokeball popped open. Machoke stood high and proud in the battlefield.

Adrian, Misty's younger brother and a crimson-haired trainer, got ready with his Pokemon. "I like to do things, the hard way. It's what I am." He clutched his Pokeball from his belt and threw it to the battlefield. "Rock n' roll, Graveler!" The Pokeball opened in mid-air and Graveler appeared in Adrian's side of the battlefield.

"Poliwrath and Graveler," called the referee, "begin!"

"Poliwrath, Brick Break!" Poliwrath sped forward hand-first to deliver a chop on Graveler.

"Defense Curl!" Graveler curled immediately. Poliwrath's Brick Break didn't seem to have much effect on a defensive Graveler.

"Bubblebeam!" Carter called. Poliwrath blasted a jet of bubbles from its two hands.

"Graveler," Adrian commanded, "dodge it!"

Carter called back, "Graveler's too slow to dodge it!"

"You don't think what my kind of dodging means," Adrian said.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Poliwrath's Bubblebeam was quick, but the bubbles were in a straight position. Graveler just had to lie down to dodge the bubbles.

"Grrrr..." Carter growled. "Poliwrath, Brick Break once more!" Poliwrath was able to deliver a heavy chop on Graveler. But it didn't seem that Graveler would give in.

"Graveler," Adrian called, "Rock Throw!"

"Dodge it," Carter called. Gravler blasted many rocks in Poliwrath's way but Poliwrath was swift enough to dodge them. A mess of rocks was on the battlefield.

"This is just what I wanted," Adrian said.

"What the...?"

Adrian pointed a finger at Poliwrath and called to his Graveler. "Rollout now!"

Graveler wheeled itself and started rolling forward – it was slow at first and Poliwrath was able to dodge it. However, the rocks that Graveler had thrown in the previous turn added power and speed to the Rollout, and pretty soon, Graveler was rolling hard and fast. It also left a trail of rocks and dust at its wake. Poliwrath was quick enough to read Graveler's movements, but dust scattered around the battlefield quickly and the vision became limited.

"So this was your battle plan," Carter said. "I have to admit that it was clever, but we won't submit to it so easily." Somewhere in the dust cloud, Poliwrath was there. Graveler had already cancelled its Rollout attack.

"Hydro Pump on the ground!" Carter called.

Poliwrath, somewhere in the dust, blasted a strong force of water to the ground. Graveler stood cautious in case a water attack would come its way. The dust started to clear. But Carter did not decide to go for any attacks at the moment.

"Okay, Graveler," Adrian called, "Rollout!"

Graveler started rolling , however, it seemed as if that the Rollout made it incredibly slower than normal. The Hydro Pump Poliwrath had done dampened the ground so that the Rollout could be negated. Also, Poliwrath's Damp ability would prevent Graveler's Selfdestruct or Explosion move. Graveler was down in Rollout so it quickly uncurled itself and stood up. However, it made another error – the weight brought its feet down to the muddy ground. Carter saw this coming.

"Ice Beam on Graveler's feet!" Poliwrath used a strong Ice Beam to freeze the area around Graveler, immobilizing it.

"Now what will you do," Carter called triumphantly, "it seems that the winds have shifted!"

Really, Adrian had nothing to do. Graveler was very open and very vulnerable to any incoming attacks.

"Let's finish this off," Carter called. "Poliwrath, use your Hydro Pump!"

The Hydro Pump was fierce and strong as it approached Graveler. "Defense Curl!" The Defense Curl could only hold a little while against the Hydro Pump, and Adrian knew that Graveler would break the curl from the water attack. He had to think and act fast. Otherwise, the battle would be over.

"This is it," Carter called as he pumped his fists in the air, "I told you that you should've sticked to the family's water standards." Poliwrath continued with its Hydro Pump, and Graveler became more worn out from the attack. If its Defense Curl broke, Poliwrath would finish it off.

"Graveler, hang in there," Adrian said. He had to think... "_What was it that changed ever since the match started?_" He scanned the battlefield for a while – the muddy ground and the chunk of ice at Graveler's feet only seemed noticeable. It took him a little while that he decided that he had to use brute strength.

"Rollout! Just do it, please!"

Graveler's feet were frozen solid, but Adrian knew that it was struggling to free its feet so that the ice would break. A shaft appeared in the ice – and in the next instant, the ice broke and Graveler was free. It started to roll in its place to provide maximum protection against the Hydro Pump.

"Im-Impossible," Carter stammered. "But even then... your Graveler will never reach Poliwrath from there."

"It doesn't need to," Adrian said. "Graveler, about face!"

He noticed the trace of mud that was hurling in Graveler's wake, so when it turned around, the chunks of mud were hurled at Poliwrath. It was a mixture of rock and water – ground. Poliwrath was blinded from the mud hurled at it.

"Rock Throw!" Adrian called.

Graveler stopped rolling then it unleashed a large chunk of rock from the ground and hurled it at Poliwrath. Poliwrath couldn't see it coming, and it was hit from the large rock. If only it would, it could've sliced the rock into two with ease. Poliwrath struggled itself and stood up from the heavy blow.

"How do you like that," Adrian said victoriously, "brute strength, a slice of tactics, and keen determination... a super combination needed to win this battle!"

"P-Poliwrath," Carter was already grasping, "Bubblebeam again!"

Poliwrath's Bubblebeam aimed for Graveler.

Adrian knew this would come – Graveler did not have the ability to dodge the attack to any side because it would just trap itself on the mud, leading to another series of tactics his brother previously used. It was time that he focused the battle from another angle. And he had to do so if he could figure out what to do with the incoming bubbles. "Graveler, use your Sandstorm around yourself!"

Graveler immediately whipped a sandstorm around itself so that it could be shielded from the bubbles. Also, the sand made contact with the bubbles, so that the bubbles popped whenever they touched the sand. Carter looked astonished.

"Good move," he said to his younger brother, "but I could've expected something better than that." Carter prepared for his next move. "Poliwrath, let's use Hydro Pump!"

Now this was something Adrian had to consider. He knew that he needed to reconsider his tactic. Whipping up a sandstorm wouldn't do the trick, because it wouldn't shield him. But there was one way. Adrian had been training his Graveler, ever since it was a Geodude, on how to get over its natural weaknesses. It would seem that this Hydro Pump would be the final test. "Shield yourself," Adrian called. He did not heed his brother's rasping smile of victory. Adrian had something else in mind. "_It just has to work..._" The Hydro Pump made contact with the shielding Graveler. Every drop of water was like a searing fire on a plant. But Adrian had faith in his Graveler and would do everything to keep it survive.

"_C'mon, there should be more water._"

Graveler had to be very well affected by water so that Adrian's tactic would work.

"Use Sandstorm!"

Immediately, Graveler whipped up another sandstorm with much more power. The sandstorm was not supposed to shield it, but it was supposed to do something. After a few seconds, a mild explosion occurred. The sandstorm cleared and the Hydro Pump stopped.

Much to Carter's surprise, Adrian's Graveler was still standing and had renewed energy.

"What is going on...?"

Graveler didn't seem much affected by the Hydro Pump.

"Anyway, that was no fluke," he rasped. "Poliwrath, let's finish it off with your Bubblebeam!"

Poliwrath's Bubblebeam was the fiercest so far. But the bubbles that came on contact with Graveler didn't seem to have any effect at all. This shocked Carter and the onlookers that gathered to watch the battle.

"Wh-What the...!"

"Let me explain," Adrian said, "I have layered Graveler in a muddy armor. The muddy armor strengthens its defense and makes it more resistant to water attacks." He pointed his finger again and said triumphantly, "Let's see you try breaking through the armor!"

No matter how Poliwrath's water attacks tried to deal damage to Graveler, the water just didn't seem to come through. Poliwrath landed an Ice Beam attack. It did freeze Graveler, but only for a few seconds. Carter had to admit that his brother's tactics were well-used.

"Brick Break!"

If there was no way to break the armor, then Poliwrath's Brick break attack should do the job. Poliwrath came foot-first to attempt to break the armor. Adrian was cunning, however.

"Grab the foot!"

Graveler immediately grabbed Poliwrath's foot and clutched it hard, it made Poliwrath squeal in pain.

"What are you doing?" Carter called.

"Hurl it round and round and quick!" Adrian called.

Graveler immediately hurled Poliwrath around and around and quickly. Poliwrath soon became dizzy after being hurled so many times.

"Throw it up high into the air!"

Poliwrath was released upwards so it was sent flying. It could do nothing to recover from its inflicted confusion. This was going to be the last move.

"Now use Rock Throw!"

As Poliwrath started descending, so did Graveler starting chunking a big piece of rock from the ground. It used all its strength to throw it up at the falling Poliwrath. The rock made a big impact and it shattered to pieces when it came in contact with Poliwrath. Poliwrath landed on the ground with a splat. Its eyes swirled.

"Poliwrath is unable to battle," called the referee, the battlers' father. He raised a hand to Adrian's side. "The winner of this match is Adrian and his Graveler!"

"_Adrian did all his best to counter every strength of the water-type and used them to his tactics. Not that he was bragging about water Pokemon or anything. He just thought that we must not let our guard down even if we're facing Pokemon with water disadvantages. It was all that he contributed. Even the oldest brother, Carter, understood his real intentions. And after that battle, dad made a custom battlefield in the yard. It had been used recently for quite a while when I decided to have my challenges in the yard._

"_It was when Carter decided to tour around the world with his Pokemon... Just after he left to start with his journey, the three sisters became the gym leaders, taking dad's position. I felt envious a bit – but I knew that it would come._

"_I looked up to them for their knowledge about Pokemon. Even as a young child, I wanted to learn more and explore the world – what Pokemon really want. My brothers sought for the their own interest to help the family, so they were not totally selfish. Carter relied more on power, but Adrian relied on tactics. Adrian left soon to follow his brother, but never have I heard from them ever since until one time. Someday, they would come back again so that they would show me their Pokemon... perhaps even have a little challenge. I craved for knowledge about water Pokemon – even try to read and say hard words, like one I learned from my mother when I went fishing with her the first time... __So I upheld the family's traditions and decided to use water Pokemon. Dad left me with his greatest treasure – his fishing rod. Of course, experts have to start out small. Mom had been fishing for quite a while, so she decided to help me. I did end up in a few bruises though, as my fishing skills continued..._"

* * *

**Misty's Flashback (Part 2): THE FIRST FISH**

The little Misty was holding the rod with great unease as she was concentrating hard on the reel. Any sign of movement on the line, she had to tug the rod hard. Her mother was also there to help and she had already caught quite a few, but she let them go afterwards. Misty had been holding the rod for almost twenty-five minutes when she started to feel frustrated.

"Mommy," she said, "why can't I get any fish?"

Misty's mother, who was sitting beside her daughter, was focusing on the line. "You have to be patient."

"Um, pay-shent?" Misty tried to say the word, but with great difficulty.

"It means to wait and behave until the moment comes," her mother clarified.

"So I have to wait and behave until my string gets a move?" Misty finished.

Her mother nodded gently. She watched her mother's line and found out that it wasn't moving yet. But suddenly, her mother reeled in her capture – a Goldeen!

"I don't get it," Misty said, confused. "How did you get it when I didn't see the string move?"

Misty's mother grinned. "I've already been fishing for years. I know when a fish is tugging at the line or not. It takes a lot of patience to learn how to fish well."

"So one day, I'll be great in fishing like you are?" Misty asked excitedly.

"Of course dear," her mother answer and she patted Misty on her head. "It takes years and experience, you know. You will learn a lot of things in the near future."

Misty had her hopes up – she couldn't wait to the day when she would catch a lot of water Pokemon with her father's prized possession passed on to her. She was too focused on that future she did not realize that her line was already tugging.

"Oh," her mother said and pointed to Misty's fishing line, "your line is tugging! Reel the fish in!"

Misty quickly turned to her fishing line and saw that the string was tugging down and squirming around in the water.

"Mommy, what should I do?" Misty asked, panicking.

Her mother quickly grabbed the fishing line. "Hold the line as hard as you can," she instructed. Misty grabbed her fishing pole as hard as she could. "Then tug the fishing line up." Misty did so, with her mother also tugging up to add a little more power. They kept on tugging the rod upwards. Misty now felt excited.

"Do you see that things that always spins," Misty's mother said. She was mentioning the knob of the rod. Misty nodded. "Grip that one quickly and turn it the other way!" Misty immediately grabbed the knob and started turning it backward. It was a bit difficult, because the reel was too strong. Misty's mother helped with the reeling in. The reel seemed to have stopped struggling. Now all what's needed was for the end of the line to reveal the fish.

The Pokemon came out from the water. "It's a Magikarp!"

"Ma-gi-karp," Misty stressed the name per syllable. "Margikarp!"

The Magikarp caught was a healthy one and it was just the correct size for a full-grown Magikarp. Misty was cheering and clapping hands as she kept saying, "I caught a fish!" It did make her mother happy, and it cheered up Misty a lot.

"_I still had many things to learn as a young tyke... and fishing was the first recollection when I thought about my mother and my father. I was grateful that they helped me out in fishing._

"_But when my parents were gone, everything seemed to fall apart. Adrian and Carter were in their own journeys and my sisters were assigned the gym post. However, it led to so many misunderstandings between the three of them and even I had to be involved with the feud. There was never a day when we could find some peace and bonding – now that the tie had been broken. It was like we could never trust each other anymore... if only mom were here, things would go a little better. At once, I thought that dying was the only option out of this, but it seemed to impossible to escape. And so, I developed a tomboyish attitude just so I could stand up to my sisters and tell them how I feel about them. At times, I felt disgusted with their attitude. But I could do nothing to go as far as fight them verbally or physically, because I know that... they're my sisters. So if I couldn't stop the feud, I should at least get things right and let us go with the pace._"

* * *

**Misty's Flashback (Part 3): STEPS TO ADVENTURE**

"_I grew up while trying to understand myself in the situation of the family. I grew up by myself as I tried to adjust to changing conditions. I had to develop my sense of reasoning alone. I had to shape my conscience. And the best source for all these were my sisters. Though they can be well-coordinated, the only thing that keeps them together is the fact that they have become popular in the city. When they became models, it was all quite a burden to me. I wanted to know what made them pursue that kind of career when it might affect their gym standing._"

"Wh-What," Misty said, appalled by what her sisters were saying, "y-you can't just leave me here! Besides, that kind of career will affect your reputation as a gym leader!"

"Um, don't you worry Misty," Daisy said confidently, "we'll not stir any trouble by mixing up in our career."

But that was the least of her worries.

Lily patted Misty on her shoulder. "And we're not really going anywhere... we're just known in the city, so we can't really be too far."

"So, this means..." Misty wondered.

"You have nothing to worry about," Violet finished the sentence. "We'll keep the whole place under control. We'll even teach you the way you should battle."

"R-Really!?!" Her eyes twinkled with excitement.

"_Under the care of my sisters, I was lectured on all about water Pokemon. They taught me battle tactics, the kind of moves water Pokemon learned, and even shared a few secrets to endure and stand out on its weaknesses. The first time I learned them, it took lots of times for me to understand. The Magikarp I caught that time only knew Splash and Tackle, so it seemed too worthless for battle. They loaned me their Staryu, my first ever capable water Pokemon._

"_It took me some months to get used to Staryu, and in a year, we built a bond. Staryu was able to come good with its attacks, so I figured that it would be a key factor._"

Almost everyday, Misty would come to the pool to train her Pokemon. Her Staryu already learned a bunch of moves, and it was all up to her to put them into good use.

"_One time, it was not enough for me to have Staryu alone, so if I wanted to really battle, I still needed to have a few more Pokemon with me. I went to a small lake just a few miles outside of the city and went fishing. It took quite a while to find a catch, but I was pleased with a young Goldeen that I was able to catch._"

"Goldeen, Horn Attack!"

Goldeen Horn Attack seemed fierce enough and it proved to be satisfying for Misty. They were training in the lake where Misty caught her Goldeen. She had it pit against a wild Poliwag. The attack landed well and Poliwag slammed onto a nearby tree. It did not fight back, instead, it just fled into the bushes nearby.

"That was good work today, Goldeen," Misty told it. "Let's head back home."

"_I had been looking forward to the day when I would really have a Pokemon battle against another trainer. So that I could be shaped up, my sisters decided to battle with me, but they would go easy and only with the basics._

"_Slowly, my Pokemon were beginning to feel the pace – my Goldeen and my Staryu were able to bring down my sisters' Starmie and Seel after much work. I was pleased that they were pleased with how I pulled it off. I almost felt like I was the gym leader. All I needed was some practice and confidence... then I could make my way even further to greater heights. When my sisters caught another Pokemon, they decided to give me their Starmie. Starmie was the evolved form of Staryu, and I had a difficult time making it trust me. But things did pay off in the end, and I had a complete roster – Staryu, Goldeen, and Starmie. I trained them when I had the chance so that I could get used to their moves and their battling style. It took me quite a long time to figure out some good strategies for battle. But little did I know that my hopes would come too soon..._"

"Wh-What," Misty said, "a gym battle?"

Daisy nodded. "We've decided... You already learned a lot from what you've experienced... and we've decided that you do the gym battle."

"B-But it's against the rules," Misty complained. "I'm not the legal one... you are supposed to be the gym battle."

"Well," Lily clarified, "we'll judge the performance of both trainers. If your Pokemon do go down during the battle, we'll do the badge giving." She turned away and went outside.

"We can count on you, Misty," Daisy said. "We do hope your months of training will pull off!"

Misty was too inefficient in debating with her sisters, but she had to give in to their request. All what she wanted to know were the name of the challenger and the Pokemon he or she might be using. It seemed as if Misty was the challenger herself. But she needed to keep the confidence.

And during the big day...

"This will be a two-on-two single battle," announced Violet, the referee situated on the side platform. The two combatants were settled in raised platforms. "If both Pokemon of a trainer are declared unable to battle, the match will be over. Only the challenger is allowed to make substitutions."

"_Knees shaking... eyesight fading..._" Misty could definitely feel the chill.

When Violet gave the go signal, Misty became half-sure if she had to pick that Pokemon. "G-Goldeen! Let's go!" Goldeen came out from its Pokeball and landed on the pool.

"So it's a water-type," said the challenger. She picked a Pokeball from her pocket and threw it into the battlefield. "I choose you Bulbasaur!"

The Bulbasaur landed on one of the platforms.

"I know Bulbasaur is a grass-type, and its attacks are strong against Goldeen," Misty thought hard. "But it can't move around freely because it cannot swim. So I have to remember that I must not let my guard down."

Misty tried to stay defensive for a while so that she could think of a good plan to deal a good attack on Bulbasaur without getting caught off-guard. Occasionally, Misty would go for the basic Water Gun and Fury Attack, but she wouldn't go well. The challenger and her Bulbasaur also seemed to have a hard time trying to get the settings right because Bulbasaur only had a very limited space to perform its attacks. Misty was almost in trouble when Bulbasaur performed its Razor Leaf, but Goldeen was quick enough to dodge it.

All what Misty had to do was to stay aggressive at the right moment. She needed to calculate her moves well. Most of Goldeen's strongest attacks require to damage the target physically, so Misty had to be careful. But after a few short minutes, the whole planning paid off and Goldeen landed two Peck attacks at Bulbasaur and bringing it down. She was up for a challenge when the challenger brought in her Magnemite, which can levitate in the air and float around at will. Though Goldeen cleverly attacked from underwater, Magnemite's vision was unlimited so it unleashed a Spark attack when Golden launched its Water Gun. The Spark electrified the Goldeen and bringing it down.

"Trump card," Misty muttered as she brought her second Pokemon to the battlefield. "Starmie, you're on!"

Starmie came out of the Pokeball and landed on the water.

Magnemite and Starmie were swift in the battle as they launched one attack after another. At one point, Magnemite's Thunder Wave attack didn't seem to do much against Starmie when it was using Rapid Spin defensively. When Starmie launched its Water Pulse immediately, Magnemite took the risk of diving underwater. And when it surfaced, it launched a Thundershock attack. The electric attack intensified with the water around it so that the electricity would become stronger. However, if the move didn't land, it would take some damage of itself because it was soaked. Unfortunately for Misty, her Starmie did not have time to dodge because of the quick Thundershock attack. Starmie fainted on the turn.

"Starmie is unable to battle, Magnemite wins the round," Daisy called.

And with that, Misty lost her first trainer battle.

"_Though it felt a bit disappointing, I later realized that I had to accept every outcome. If the challengers were worthy and that they pulled it all out with their Pokemon, then they deserved the Cascade Badge. My sisters were sometimes kind enough to help me with their training on how to go against weaknesses like that time I faced the Magnemite._

"_But it felt like I was not yet well equipped with enough knowledge. And so, one day, while fishing outside Viridian City... I was involved in an event where it would change my life forever... My journey started when my bicycle got ruined because of a sacrificial error. But walking side by side with Ash and Brock made me realize that there were still so many water Pokemon out there waiting for me to catch them and train them hard. Every adventure on the way made me learn lots of lessons. I had to absorb the knowledge enough so that I could well be prepared for the gym battles that would come, when I would officially become the gym leader._

"_Until today, I'm still learning. Learning is the first and vital skill every human and Pokemon does. Because in learning, we get to know things and we get to do things effectively in our lives. Even as a gym leader, I cannot consider myself to be strong. My way of handling the Cerulean City gym is not how strong the challengers are... it's just how capable and worthy are the challengers and their Pokemon. If they can stand up against water and other partnering elements, then they could be worthy of the Cascade Badge. I've already been five years in the gym business, I'm still going strong... because wherever they may be, my family is looking after one another._"

* * *

Next chapter on Winner Takes Ash: Return of Team Rocket – With A Twist!

"Mom!" I rushed to comfort her. But there was no denying it. "Mom, I should know..."

"I was lying to you," she sobbed.

I tried to recall. The recollection took me to the events when Misty and I went here. Did it have something to do with my father?

"Does it have something to do with... dad?"

The whole living room fell silent, save for mom's weeping. "Yes," mom said and she wiped her tears. "What I've told you about your father... was not the entire truth."

...

"What was it you said about there was still a way," I called.

"About your father..." Jessie said. "We might just know where your father is."

My heart skipped a beat like Floatzel was doing Aqua Jet on it. Though I still didn't completely trust them, I could never know until I try. Brock's suggestion came back to light. Though I still maintained my suspicion towards them, I guess I would have to listen to what they would say.

"You could perhaps start with this," James said as he pulled a newspaper clipping from the inside pocket of his coat and handed it to me. I got it from him and started the clipping. I could not believe what the article stated. "_Crime syndicate to make organizational objectives public._"

"Wh-What's happening?" I asked them angrily.

**To be continued...

* * *

**

**Existing chapters:**

**Prologue: The Pokémon Masters**

**Chapter 1: Face-Off**

**Chapter 2: Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3: Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4: Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

**Chapter 5: Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience**

**Chapter 6: Forest and Poisons**

**Chapter 7: It's A Whole New Gym Leader**

**Chapter 8: Brock's Flashback**

**Chapter 9: Pains of the Past**

**Chapter 10: Petalburg Pursuit – To the Maximum!**

**Chapter 11: Bringing Back the Young Days**

**Chapter 12: A Little Taste of Darkness**

**Chapter 13: Nightmares**

**Chapter 14: A Night in the Meadows**

**Chapter 15: The Amazing Transformation**

**Chapter 16: Tidal Terror**

**Chapter 17: Lost From the Tree**

**Chapter 18: Love Fever – Stricken!**

**Chapter 19: Three-Way Hostility**

**Chapter 20: Detection of Infection – A Virus Like No Other!**

**Chapter 21: A Secret of Two Trainers Unveiled**

**Chapter 22: Contest Preparations**

**Chapter 23: Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 24: More Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 25: Still More Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 26: A Girl's Sweetest Dreams**

**Chapter 27: The Voyage A Maple Has to Follow**

**Chapter 28: A Terrible Sight to Behold**

**Chapter 29: Not All Waterflowers Are Always Blue

* * *

**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

That chapter was not really much... but it showed some possible explanations why Misty's attitude turns out that way. Anyway, the next chapter will be the return of Team Rocket! Are they going to have another attempt in their schemes on Pikachu? Or have they have a change of heart? Find out in the next chapter!

We're very close to the end... But I will warn you that the story will not end the way it was originally planned out. Which means that Ash will not find the girl yet. We will all be left with cliffhangers in the ending. Remember that May is in the Almia region, very far away. We might see her again in the second novel, which also means, she might possibly not appear in the next novel. And also, I decided to let Team Rocket make their surprise return. Reason? Team Rocket, as an organization, will play a vital role in the next novel. So what do you think happened to Jessie, James, and Meowth?

**The author does not own Pokemon Diamond, Pokemon Pearl, or Pokemon Platinum. They all belong to GameFreak. The only thing he owns is Winner Takes Ash, and that's the only thing he has.**

**PowerZone**


	32. Ch30: Return of Team Rocket

**CHAPTER 30: THE RETURN OF TEAM ROCKET – WITH A TWIST!**

A twist for expecting what's unexpected...

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Prologue) "You haven't seen the last of us," Jessie roared.

"Wait till we come back for the next season," Meowth added.

"If that next season would come," James said sheepishly.

"Just ask Satoshi," Meowth said hoarsely, "he might be writing the next one already. See you in the next region, twerps!"

Wobbuffet came out from nowhere and saluted, "Wob-buffet!"

Team Rocket yelled, "We're blasting off for good – for now!"

(Chapter 4) "Kissed?"

"Yes professor," I admitted again with stupidity bubbling in my mind, "we kissed."

"I don't really know about this," Professor Oak spoke politely. "But of course, love is one of the human experiences – and even Pokémon experience love." I remember Sceptile's heartache over a Meganium. He whispered, "Just don't keep love as a hindrance. That's probably the only tip I can give you."

* * *

**STORY PROPER**

**PART 1 – SEARCH FOR THE LONG LOST FATHER**

From Fuchsia City, our next destination would be Pallet Town. However, we did not want to take the short trip via the Cinnabar Islands. We panned up a route that we could encircle the Vermilion Bay. We tried to take the bridge to Celadon City, but the tornados must've caused a little quake, and so the bridge could not be open to the public. From Fuchsia City, we would walk north to the edge of the Safari Zone until we would arrive at the Vermilion outskirts. From Vermilion, we would head west to Celadon then go a little west further to end up in Viridian City. From Viridian City, we would travel south until we would reach Pallet Town. I had to agree that the planned path was quite long, but it was probably the safest. We just crossed from the Fuchsia border to the Vermilion border when the blazing sun reached its boiling point.

"We've already gone for quite a while," Dawn started complaining. "Can't we just rest for a while?"

It was very hot – the intense heat was something we could not endure. Even Pikachu already felt tired. From the long recovery, maybe I didn't have to push myself too hard.

"I agree," Tracey said. He was already trying to fan himself. "The heat's too unbearable."

He was reading the guidebook. Though he was familiar with the Kanto region map, we were taking paths that were inaccessible before. It seemed that over the course of the years I had been journeying in other regions, shortcuts were introduced for faster travel. And so, we had to familiarize with the shortcuts. And Dawn also had to familiarize with the region.

We were able to find a spring just off the track. The spring was about ten feet below the ground level. A small waterfall was flowing from it and the spring led to another stream that went down the plains. Without even taking her clothes off, Dawn rushed in and jumped into the pool. Brock and Tracey could only shake their head and smirk at the recklessness. But it didn't matter anymore, as I whispered to Pikachu about jumping into the spring. I only had time to take off my shirt and my sneakers and socks. While Brock and Tracey were helping themselves to settle under the shade of a nearby tree, I took this time to prepare for a jump and surprise Dawn. Pikachu was clinging onto my head.

"Three," I started silently and prepared for a running start, "two, one..."

I ran forward then leaped over the edge. "CANNONBALL!"

However, my path was in the way of Dawn. Good thing, Dawn recognized instantly that I was on her landing path. She swam away immediately.

SPLASH!

"Ash, you moron!" Dawn called.

I surfaced immediately and spurted some water into the air.

"Sorry," I said, "I just couldn't help it when a good spring beats the hot sun!" Just a little distance from us, Pikachu was enjoying the water and doing a backstroke. "Besides Dawn, it's a bit... er, um, embarrassing to swim with your clothes on."

Dawn looked down for a moment. "Oh, sheesh. We've already been soaked too much when we had our clothes on!" She made her claim.

Yeah, she raised a good point.

I guess there was only one thing to do... I reached to my pants and took out two random Pokéballs. I threw them swiftly in the air. Out came Floatzel and Crawdaunt. It seemed that it would be somewhat fun... "Water Gun on Dawn!"

"Wh-What are you doing?"

Floatzel and Crawdaunt's Water Gun attacks were more of like a burst from a hose. Dawn was spurted.

"I'm gonna get you for that!" She gurgled.

Dawn took out two of her Pokemon out – Empoleon and Poliwag. "Bubblebeam on Ash, you guys!"

The bubbles tickled and I couldn't stop laughing. When they were done with the bubbles, I stopped laughing.

"Those two can't stop and think," Brock remarked. He and Tracey were standing near the edge of the ten-foot wall. "But it's times like these when the two really get along together." He spotted the both of us, but we didn't seem to pay mind. It already turned into a water fight – with the four water Pokémon splashing water all around.

"I have to admit," Tracey said to Brock, "when the two of them horse around, they're cute together."

It seemed Brock had to agree.

Back in the spring...

I didn't notice it until Dawn suddenly went underwater. Even though the water was not too deep (though I couldn't feel the floor of the spring), the four Pokémon were playing around with the water so much that it was impossible to find Dawn's movements. I tried to search by wading around, but I had no luck. I stayed motionless for a while until something big got hold of my foot and pulled me down. I had no time to yell.

The next thing I knew... something just kissed me on the lips. I opened my eyes... it was Dawn! That instant, I almost had a heart attack. But I couldn't make out a sound underwater. With Dawn's other arm, she gripped by back and pulled me close. Soon, we were kissing underwater – and it was just the way I felt when we shared it the last time (Chapters 3 and 6). It was almost the time when we were so attached to each other. It was just like the time when I almost felt so close to myself to become attached to all my emotions. Her lips were with the same taste as raspberries.

We were submerged for almost thirty seconds when we almost ran out of air. We surfaced immediately.

"What was that for?" I asked her.

Dawn giggled and she squeezed some water out of her hair. "Well, I gotta hand it to you. You're a sucker for surprises."

We were still wading around the water as we looked around. Now that we were in the spring, there was just the jackpot question. "Well, how are we gonna get out?" There wasn't any ladder or stairs so that we could get out.

"Guess that proves we're stupid," Dawn said almost disappointingly.

"Yeah," I agreed. "Good for you to make out the warning sign."

"In the meantime," she said as she leaned an arm around me and started pulling me under. I guess I was in for another exciting part to the romance... "let me, um, er... rather..."

Without thinking, just like being impulsive in diving into the spring, I just said, "Certainly..." And after that we submerged back underwater to finish what we started.

I didn't think of it too much at that time... but later that day, I noticed that Dawn was clinging too much onto my arm. Brock and Tracey seemed quite embarrassed, but I didn't want to mind what they were saying.

"Hey Brock," Tracey whispered, "since when did Dawn get so attached to him?"

Brock shrugged. "Dunno... I guess it's a girl's instinct," he whispered back.

"Well, Ash is popular everywhere," Tracey muttered, "it's not too rare for him to be around with girls... at his age, no less."

"Yeah, kinda like that time..." Brock whispered, as if he was recalling something. It made me curious and wonder, "_When was that time?_" I just shook the thought off. But the annoying part was the girl clinging onto my arm and rubbing her head against my shoulder as if she was a cat. Not only did I have to blush in embarrassment, but I couldn't let go. I tried to resist a few times and spoke to Dawn, but she was good with words.

* * *

After four days and following our route to Pallet Town, we finally arrived in our destination. The light breeze blew against us as we overlooked the town. It seemed as if the town was growing. The neighborhood where I live was clearly visible. But just beside the neighborhood was the town proper. The buildings were already growing. I guess the town was on the way to urban modernization. I could already imagine it: Pallet City. Yet, I had a little bit of doubt. I really liked the place to be rural.

"Nice to be home," I muttered.

We went down the hill and through the plains (not to mention that we were in for a little surprise when a flock of Taillow flew out from the grass) before entering the neighborhood.

Not much people were in the streets, but we could hear construction going on. We happened to pass by one of the construction sites. One of the engineers told us that a bank would rise at that part. I just nodded... but there was something that was knocking inside my head, "_Mom won't have to walk an hour to Viridian City just to deposit or withdraw her money, now that there will be a bank built up._"

It took us about five minutes through the neighborhood before we finally arrived at my home. But the longer I looked at it, the more it made me remember what happened when I invited Dawn into my home (Chapter 4). At that time, mom was in Saffron City. So Dawn was the guest and I was the host. Last time I came home, I was with Misty (Chapter 17). That was when I learned of a family secret – that I had a sister, whom I eventually found in Cerulean City after a lucky incident. It seemed as if my home was a place of discoveries. We were in front of my home – still the same as always.

"Mom," I called out, "I'm home."

The door opened and Wobbie, the family Wobbuffet came bolting out of the door and running to the gate and opened it.

"Wob-Wobba!"

"Wobbie," I said enderaingly as I stroked its head, "missed me, huh?"

"For a second, I thought it was Team Rocket's Wobbuffet," Brock said. "But I guess, you have another family pet."

The first time I saw Wobbie was when I came back after being hospitalized in Goldenrod City. That time, Wobbie was nervous. But I guess mom and Mimie, mom's Mr. Mime, trained Wobbie to get to know the household. Having two psychic Pokemon in the house wasn't half as bad. But if they were capable in battle, then maybe we could have more than helpers. I could really imagine Mimie and Wobbie in a double battle.

I looked nervously at Dawn and mouthed, "Quiet."

It seemed Dawn understood and she nodded. If ever Brock and Tracey would figure out (and the worst, mom) what we did, then I would DEFINITELY be screwed.

As we entered the yard, we heard voices coming from two women.

"Yes madam, I understand. It must... be quite an adventure." It was coming from mom.

"All this time, we never thought... but maybe our exploits were the dawn of change in ourselves," said the other person.

"Yes," came a man's voice – a strange familiar voice. "It's been the same a many in every attempt, but we seem to understand."

I thought it was not so much, so we went inside the house. The layout of the furnitures seemed to have changed. The last time I was here, the television was supposed to be facing east, but it was now moved to the other side. Aside from the television, a few couches and sofas I did not recognize were also there. Mom must've bought some furniture.

But what caught my eye most was the trophies in the cupboard, which hadn't been moved from where I last saw it. My trophy from the Orange Islands and the trophy from the Sinnoh Golden Conference were shining side by side in the upper cabinet. The badges that I collected were also neatly sprawled out in a blue velvet cloth and preserved. The order of the badges was arranged per generation, so there were five rows in all. The top row had the Kanto region badges, then the Orange Island badges, then Johto, then Hoenn, then Sinnoh. The arrangement of the badges was perfect and in order. The lower cabinet contained a purple velvet cloth that held seven gleaming gold coin-like objects. These gold coin-like objects were those from the Battle Frontier, and these objects were the Symbols that I've earned. The whole collection was neat, complete, and easy on the eyes.

In the living room, mom was talking to two people.

"Hi, honey," mom greeted when we noticed her, "welcome home."

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Ketchum," Brock, Tracey, and Dawn greeted.

My attention was turned towards the two people, who were still looking at mom.

"Well, we'll be leaving, madam," said the woman. "I'm sorry to have taken your time."

"N-no," mom said and she grinned, "it was most welcome to talk to you... your tale was endearing."

"We'll take our leave right away," said the man. "Thank you so much for the tea... I feel like I've never tasted a good one in ages."

"You're very most welcome," mom said. She stood up and the two other guests followed. We watched them shake hands and the two of them turned to the door.

"Well, I must say you have an excellent son," commented the woman as she looked at me. She had long flowing hair and a bossy look that almost reminded me of that person. The man beside her had light indigo hair. He had a more considerate look than his partner. "Though we've never actually seen the glory, we can really certainly feel it." The two of them and a Meowth, which was fortunately walking on its four legs (Team Rocket's Meowth walked on two, I could never forget that), started making their way to the door and passed by the both of us, but we didn't want to look at them. "Mrs. Ketchum, you certain have a helpful Wobbuffet."

"Thank you very much," mom said to her. Brock, Tracey, and Dawn went away to look at the cabinet.

"As the Pokemon master," we heard the man say, "you should have known by then who we are." I started turning when he continued, "We'll meet again when the real chance comes, and we'll introduce ourselves properly... Mr. Ash Ketchum."

When the two of them left the house and out of the yard, I turned back to my mom.

"M-Mom, who were they? And why do they know me?"

Mom sighed. "Well, they claimed that they were friends and they talked a lot about you." She started making her way to the kitchen. "They seemed considerate to narrate their adventures and how you played a vital role in them. Well, make yourselves at home dears. I'll make you some tea."

Brock, Tracey, and Dawn settled themselves in the living room while Tracey decided to look at some photographs nesting on top of the television. I just stood there in my place wondering about the two people. It took me quite a while, but recollections started surfacing. Many things did seem out of place, but I was definitely convinced. It was what she remarked about Wobbie and what he remarked about the tea. My heart skipped a beat in the revelation, but there was no mistaking it.

"T-Team Rocket..."

* * *

Dawn spat out some of her tea and she quickly brushed her mouth.

"Team Rocket?!"

I nodded. I told them everything what they said. Apparently, Jessie seemed to compare mom's Wobbuffet to her Wobbuffet. And James had never drunk good tea ever since they arrived at the Sinnoh region. Also, the Meowth might've been faking its position. Though the evidence wasn't really supportive, I was absolutely convinced. I explained to mom about the goings-on of Team Rocket. But mom didn't seem to believe me. That was when... something else occurred.

"Mom, you're not hiding any secret?"

Mom looked down. To my horror, she started crying. She covered her face with her hands as she started weeping.

"Mom!" I rushed to comfort her. But there was no denying it. "Mom, I should know..."

"I was lying to you," she sobbed.

I tried to recall. The recollection took me to the events when Misty and I went here. Did it have something to do with my father?

"Does it have something to do with... dad?"

The whole living room fell silent, save for mom's weeping. "Yes," mom said and she wiped her tears. "What I've told you about your father... was not the entire truth."

Brock crossed his leg and folded his arms. "For quite a while, it seemed a little suspicious that Ash's father never came to witness his son's winning glory."

"And to think that I was deceived all this time into thinking that he was still out there," I muttered. I didn't feel so sure of myself, anymore. Until I could discover where my father was, even if I had to walk to the ends of the world to search his footsteps, I would never rest. "I... I just can't believe it." But it led me to thinking that he was still alive. I still had hope. Maybe someday, KC or I might be able to find the missing piece.

"So why were those two people here," Dawn asked my mother.

"Hmm..." mom started answering, but I figured that she wasn't entirely sure. "Those two wanted to have a little conference... more like of a confession."

At the word "confession" Brock and I jolted and stood up. Mom started explaining about the two people and their experiences that they went. For every second that passed while she narrated, I knew that it would be too good to be true. But she didn't seem to be lying. Even Pikachu, who had been listening all this time, seemed a bit confused. Why would Jessie and James, in a totally new fashion, would come all the way here just to... apologize? Couldn't they just stay a little bit longer so that we could settle things once and for all? At least I would settle down. But then again... adventures were more exciting when there was Team Rocket around. When mom was finished with the story, Brock and I just sat down and exchanged looks. Dawn was playing with her fingers, while Tracey was looking out the window. For a while, we fell silent. But a part of the story seemed contradictory.

"What does Team Rocket have to do with my father?" I asked mom.

"There was a strong suggestion," Brock spoke up, "but I think I see the connection... though I cannot support it, I can see the actual connection..."

I looked at Brock and demanded, "Well, what is it?"

"Could it be..." Brock started. He choked.

"Well," I said almost demandingly.

"Cool down Ash," Dawn said and she let me sit down.

Brock was able to find the words he was supposed to say. "Could it be... that the leader of Team Rocket, Giovanni... is Ash's father?"

A dead silence swept across the living room. Though we all stayed motionless, I seemed to have been frozen as if a Powder Snow attack came over me. Did I hear correctly what Brock suggested: that the leader of a large crime syndicate would be my father? My mind went into a frenzy that instant and I could not hold it back any longer.

"That's crazy," I told him.

"Think about it," Brock counter-argued, "why do you believe that your father is still out there? And why do you think Team Rocket always went after your Pikachu or some other rare Pokémon?"

It took me a little while to try and figure it out. But I was left with a lot more question marks hanging over my head. "Why do you think, Brock?"

"Let me make things simpler: what would Giovanni do with your Pikachu?" Brock rephrased the question. "It was he, after all, who dispatched Jessie and James to go after us and get your Pikachu."

Just by listening to what Brock suggested suddenly made me think, "_After all these years that Team Rocket went after us, what was their ultimate goal?_" While my mind was still racing to accept Brock's suggestions, I asked him, "Do you think Jessie and James... know who Giovanni really is?"

Brock nodded. "That's what I'm suggesting."

I turned to mom, "Mom, you said that my father once owned a Pikachu. Do you think that his Pikachu... is the Pikachu here?" I referred to Pikachu, who was sitting there and looking at me wonderingly.

"Why don't you ask it yourself?" Tracey said.

I looked at Pikachu like I wanted an answer out from it. After a few seconds, Pikachu shook its head. "Pika-pika."

"Hmm," Dawn said, "there must be another way..."

There were a lot of suggestions, but I was convinced that if we tried each one of them, we would be led nowhere to figure out the mystery of Team Rocket. Finally, a perfect idea came into my head. I decided to share it with them. "We could ask Professor Oak. After all, that's where I got my Pikachu." After a long debate, they finally agreed. I had to argue why would Professor Oak give me a Pikachu to start on my journey instead of the normal starters. But the day was getting late, so we had to reserve for the trip tomorrow.

Brock, however, decided to leave and head to Pewter City. Though we reckoned that he won't make it there in time, he said that his aunt, who lives in Viridian City, would let him stay. We bade him goodbye for the moment, and so Tracey and Dawn were the guests. Not to mention that Mimie and Wobbie were also helping out with the chores. I figured it out later on that it was Mimie's Flash attack that glittered all my badges and symbols.

Because there were only two bedrooms in the house, Tracey and Dawn would have to sleep in my room. I pulled out two mattresses from the cabinet in the storage room and set it on the floor. Tracey would be near the door while Dawn would settle in the center of the room.

While Tracey used his Scizor and Venomoth to battle against Mimie and Wobbie, I checked up on Dawn. She was in the room, sitting on my bed, and was reading some Pokémon manga. As a young child, I was so fascinated by Pokémon I bought some Pokémon manga for me to read and enjoy. I only bought thirty-three of these before I started on my adventure. I closed the door behind me and walked around the two mattresses before reaching Dawn. I sat down beside her and took a peek at what she was reading.

"Is that the Golden Gyarados special?" I asked her.

Dawn took a look at the cover and then quickly went back to where she was reading. "Yeah," she said.

After a few minutes, Dawn closed the manga. "Remember that time, Ash?"

I looked at her. "Remember... what?"

Dawn giggled. "That time when I visited your home."

I stared at her blankly for a moment then said, "Oh, yeah, that time. What about it?"

Dawn shrugged and said, "Uh, nothing."

She stood up and put the manga back on the shelf. When she was done, she went back to the bed and sat down beside me. All of a sudden, I found myself blushing when Dawn carefully laid her head on my shoulder and wrapped her arm around mine.

"Ash," she started.

"Yeah?" I said.

"I wanna see some more meteor showers," she said sleepily.

I chuckled.

While the both of us fell silent, I heard the sounds outside. It seemed that Tracey's Scizor was knocked out while mom's Wobbuffet also suffered the same impact. After a few minutes, Mimee went down. Tracey's Venomoth was able to pull out the win with a Silver Wind. Mimee and Wobbuffet were not merely helpers – they were also capable in battle.

* * *

Several hours later, Dawn and I were the only ones awake in the house. Mom was already fast asleep in her room, while Tracey was already huddled under the covers.

"Not sleepy yet?" I asked her.

Tracey was already fast asleep. Maybe that battle wore off his energy. Dawn and I were kneeling against the window with our arms at the windowsill as we watched the crescent moon and the stars that twinkled in the night sky. We watched a Cresselia silhouette go across the bright moon before it disappeared in the darkness.

"Not yet," Dawn answered quietly, "I still want to see a shooting star."

My mind was half conscious as I watched outside – even to have a little glimpse of a shooting star. But the longer I looked at the moon, the more it made me remember what happened when Dawn and I were down the path on the way to Pallet Town.

"Hey, Ash," she muttered.

"What is it?"

"Thanks."

I was a bit confused. "What are you thanking me for?"

"If I never met you, I wouldn't be here," she said.

Better than getting even more confused, I just nodded. "Yeah..." For a moment, I thought she was going to say those words. But I expected Dawn to be a little more sane. Once again, she leaned her head on my shoulder.

"You really like to do that, huh?"

Dawn chuckled. "I can be a little more sweet sometimes... I am a girl after all."

"Yes, Dawn," I said. "I am a boy, too... after all."

Without really realizing it, I wrapped an arm around Dawn.

"You know what," I told her, "there was a time when I encountered a Pokémon that grants wishes."

"Really? There's such a thing as one?"

I nodded. "It only appears once in a thousand years. Too bad I didn't make a wish for myself." (Ash is referring to Jirachi, the featured Pokémon in the movie, Jirachi Wish Maker)

"That's too bad," Dawn said concernedly. "If I were there... boy would I wish for a thousand more wishes." She giggled after that.

We fell silent for a moment.

"Do you like me, Ash?" Dawn asked all of a sudden. And all of a sudden, my heart skipped a beat.

"Yeah," I answered, "I do like you Dawn. You're a very good friend. I – I'm so pleased with myself for having met you."

Silence fell again, but Dawn added her words with a kiss on my cheek.

I could only blush and smile and watch a shooting star streak across the sky.

* * *

**PART 2 – THE INFORMATION CONTAINING EVERYTHING**

The next day, Pikachu and I decided to head out to Professor Oak's laboratory (leaving Dawn and Tracey to get to know more about the town as they accompanied my mom to the market) to seek some answers regarding my Pikachu. Professor Oak and Muk were the first people to greet us. Of course, I would not have to not expect Muk to Body Slam me when I would come in.

"So what brings you here, Ash?" Professor Oak asked me over tea.

"Well, I know it's been a long time," I told him, "but there are things which I should still clarify." I looked at Pikachu, who was happily munching some treats and Pokéblocks. "I want to know where Pikachu came from."

Professor Oak sipped some tea and placed it on the table in front of him. "You see, Ash, there was another reason why I handed you Pikachu, although at the time, I wasn't feeling sure of myself."

I was a bit amazed that Professor Oak could still jog his memory.

"All three starters were already claimed that that time," he said. "But recently, I was still conducting an electrical experiment with your Pikachu. Though I've never completed the experiment, I was indeed pleased with the progress Pikachu has made." He crossed his legs and continued, "You see, Ash, when you got that Pikachu, it was already an adult."

I nodded. "But what was this experiment you were supposed to be conducting?" I asked him.

"Pikachu already learned a lot of electric attacks at that time," Professor Oak answered. "It has already learned Thunderbolt, and Thunder at its disposal. However, since you were still a greenhorn at that time, Pikachu was reduced to learning Thundershock and Growl." He rubbed his chin for a moment. "The moves of Pokemon must affect the way its trainer commands it. A hardy trainer will always want to choose a Pokemon that attacks all-out." That point, I thought of Lucy and Paul, since they were two trainers whose Pokemon are offensive all-out.

"So what does this mean?" I asked him.

"It means that the person who inherited your Pikachu was a skilled trainer and adept in handling your Pikachu," Professor Oak said. "But you've made it learn some attacks a Pikachu wouldn't learn normally – like Iron Tail and Volt Tackle."

"Professor Oak, since when did Pikachu return to your laboratory?" I asked him further. "And who brought it back?"

It took Professor Oak a little while to answer the questions. "Well... I do recall someone giving me a Pikachu to have an electrical examination. However, he never came back for his Pikachu."

It seemed like I was closer to the truth.

"Your Pikachu might already be old," Professor Oak said as he took another three sips from his tea. "A few years later, Pikachu might die." Pikachu and I looked at each other. "We cannot ignore what always takes place in our lives – and one of them is death. When you come to think of it, you should look out for some signs when Pikachu starts to wear out from its powers." He smiled at me. "But your Pikachu was strong-willed enough to recover from that virus (Chapter 20). It must be the bond that you two really share." He stood up and went to the laboratory hallway. I waited for a minute until he returned back to the reception and he dropped a small folder on the table in front of me. "This folder contains the information about the trainer who had your Pikachu before."

I snatched the folder from the table and opened it. I flipped a few pages into the document and searched for the one thing that would reveal all the answers to the questions. When I arrived at the biography, I looked at the name.

"James Fritz Ketchum..."

It was not the name I had been hoping to find, but I knew that Pikachu originally belonged to my father. When I looked down the page to find out where Pikachu was found, the data read, "outside Pallet Town." His starter was also a Bulbasaur.

I nodded. So maybe the connection of all my assumptions was gone.

"Yes, I know," Professor Oak said dryly. "Your Pikachu originally belonged to your father."

There was some questions I had to ask, but I knew that whether it would be a positive or negative, it wouldn't matter anymore. "Professor, do you know where my father may be?"

He took another sip of tea. "I've never heard of him ever since eighteen years ago... just around the time you were born. None of his Pokemon are already here. It seemed that he must've kept them... somewhere." He noticed about my suspicion toward the conversation. "What's seems to be the matter, Ash?"

I realized that I was defeated. Maybe my father... maybe... "Nothing..." I told him, defeated. "Thanks for the tea." Then I told Pikachu, "Pikachu, let's go."

Pikachu followed after me. I guess there was no more reason to search for my father. Maybe I had to accept that he was gone. I could not believe Brock's suggestion – why would the leader of a crime syndicate be my father? It was just not possible. Though the odd feeling of why Jessie and James would pursue my Pikachu to every step of the way kept bugging me, I guess it was just the way they operated. I closed the gate behind me and Pikachu leaped up to my shoulder. But Professor Oak was right – that Pikachu was already getting old. Maybe that electrical examination was to restore Pikachu's initial charges that my father gave it. But Pikachu, of course, had no idea where my father went after he left it. So I was back to zero leads, and I had to give up my search.

"You know... there is still a way," said a voice behind me. I froze on the spot and turned around.

It was the two people who visited the house the other day.

"T-Team Rocket!" I gasped. Pikachu was preparing for an electric attack.

"Hmph," James, the light indigo haired member, grumbled, "we're not Team Rocket anymore... We're simply Jessie and James, ordinary Pokemon trainers."

I turned to the Meowth resting near Jessie's legs.

"And the Meowth with you?" I sternly said to them.

"Still the Meowth you knew, twerp," came Meowth as it raised its claw. "But not the Meowth you know now."

If this was really too good to be true, then I wouldn't believe it. Maybe it was some kind of trick... maybe a deception that they would pull another fast one on me.

"Don't think that we'll pull a fast one on you," Jessie warned as she tossed her flaming red hair around her. "Those days have been left behind us..."

"How could you make me believe what you're saying?" I said to them almost angrily. I prepared one of my Pokéballs.

"Fine," came James as he stepped forward. "We can prove it." He took out one of his Pokéballs from his belt. "We'll challenge you to a Pokémon battle."

"_This will be a piece of cake,_" I told myself. "Fine, I accept the challenge. Name it."

"A one-on-one-on-one," Jessie suggested. She turned to look at James, who nodded. "We play by the book – no tricks, just tactics."

I looked at Jessie and James for a while. I still didn't believe them. But I had to go with the flow for the moment. "Fine," I told them.

We were suddenly settled in a small field just somewhere outside the town. The battlefield was triangular, just like when I battled against Lucy and Brock. I was already familiar with the triple-threat battles, so I didn't need an orientation. When we were all ready, we called in our Pokémon.

"Pikachu, you're up!" Pikachu leaped off my shoulder into the battlefield.

"Yanmega," Jessie called as she threw her Pokéball to the battlefield. It popped open and the Yanmega came out with its wings buzzing hard.

James prepared his Pokéball and threw it to the battlefield. "Alright, I choose you Arcanine!" Arcanine came out of the Pokéball and roared while spurting fire from its mouth.

I scanned the battlefield for the match-ups. "_Okay, Pikachu will be good against Yanmega, which is part-flying and part-bug. But I have to watch out for its speed. On the other hand, if I don't look out for Arcanine, Pikachu can be burned before I know it._" My desired target would be Yanmega, but if I can take the both of them out with a single shot, then it would be better.

"Let's go," the three of us said in unison.

"Yanmega," Jessie called, "Air Slash on Arcanine!"

"Dodge it with Extremespeed!" James called.

"Thunderbolt that Yanmega!' I called.

Yanmega's air-tearing slash was quick, but Arcanine's Extremespeed was quicker. It was able to avoid the incoming attack by just a second. Pikachu's Thunderbolt missed when Yanmega got out of the way. I guess I would have to look at the battle from another perspective.

"Power Gem!" came Jessie's next command.

"Flamethrower!" James called.

The sparkling gems and the flames met in-between Yanmega and Arcanine. But the flames won over in the struggle and Yanmega suffered a considerable amount of damage.

"Okay," I said to Pikachu, "bring it down with a Volt Tackle!"

Pikachu charged towards Yanmega while leaving an electric charge in its wake. The electricity forced itself towards Yanmega as it got electrified. Though the fire and electric damage should have done a lot towards Yanmega (though it was weakened), it seemed that Yanmega could still go further.

"Arcanine," called James, looking through his thick red-rimmed sunglasses, "Fire Blast that Yanmega!"

Arcanine's five-pointed star of fire (actually the Japanese sign for fire) came towards Yanmega.

"Double Team!" Immediately, Yanmega multiplied into twenty as they encircled around Pikachu and Arcanine. The Fire Blast attack was cancelled and Yanmega continued to speed around the battlefield.

"Pikachu," I called, "look out!"

Pikachu turned around just in time to see that the real Yanmega was charging straight at it.

"Bug Bite!"

Yanmega opened its mouth to bite at Pikachu. Pikachu dodged the attack and jumped on top of Yanmega.

"Thunderbolt!"

Immediately, the electric discharged from Pikachu onto Yanmega. The electrified Yanmega went down in defeat. Jessie grumbled something as she returned her Yanmega into its Pokéball. Now it was just Pikachu and Arcanine in the battle.

"Extremespeed, Arcanine!" James ordered.

Arcanine came charging through the battlefield at a high speed.

"Watch out!" I called.

However, the Extremespeed found its way toward Pikachu and Arcanine made a tackle. But luck shifted, when Pikachu discharged another small jolt of electricity to paralyze Arcanine. Pikachu's Static kicked in.

"Be careful with that paralysis," I could hear Meowth yell.

James snarled and he turned back to the battle. "Flamethrower now!" Arcanine was still able to breathe out a stream of fire.

"Thunderbolt on yourself!" I called.

Pikachu launched a Thunderbolt on itself to provide an electrical defense against Arcanine. The weakened Flamethrower dissipated the moment the flames touched Pikachu.

"Get over with the paralysis," James yelled, "and use your Fire Blast!" Unfortunately, Arcanine could not move. It was time to end this.

"Volt Tackle!"

Pikachu rushed forth with electrical energy and made a full-body electrical impact on Arcanine. Arcanine was knocked back and knocked out. Pikachu won the battle. But I had to admit that their Pokémon did put up a good fight unlike those times when they were still Team Rocket. James returned his Arcanine back to its Pokéball.

"What was it you said about there was still a way," I called.

"About your father..." Jessie said. "We might just know where your father is."

My heart skipped a beat like Floatzel was doing Aqua Jet on it. Though I still didn't completely trust them, I could never know until I try. Brock's suggestion came back to light. Though I still maintained my suspicion towards them, I guess I would have to listen to what they would say.

"You could perhaps start with this," James said as he pulled a newspaper clipping from the inside pocket of his coat and handed it to me. I got it from him and started the clipping. I could not believe what the article stated. "_Crime syndicate to make organizational objectives public._"

"Wh-What's happening?" I asked them angrily.

"The primary reason why we quit," Meowth said as it sharpened its claws. "To publicize organizational objectives means that the Interpol will be after all of us."

Jessie nodded. "We said it in front of the boss himself."

The boss himself...?

"W-Wait, how does this have to do anything with my father?" I asked them sternly.

James pointed to the article and said, "Why don't you read to find out?"

Though I had to keep an eye on them, I started reading the article. The words "organization", "Team Rocket", "objectives", "admins", and "Interpol" were most common. But somewhere halfway in the article, there was a paragraph that caught my eye. "_To make organizational objectives public, the said CEO of the syndicate would ultimately reveal himself to the public. However, he would not accept it without first seeing his family __for the last time__ before turning himself in. As for the reason, Interpol and investigators are still currently investigating the projects the syndicate has done. Whether it is for the benefit or for the terror of humans and Pokémon, the public and the media do not know. However, we have to make sure that all information pertaining to this syndicate must be made known for the general public to be well prepared._" I shook my head in disbelief. I turned to the two of them.

"Is this all true?"

James heaved a sigh. "Sorry to break it to you, but we've quit. That's all I can offer you." He turned to leave as he added, "You can keep it."

Jessie also turned to leave. "We'll be seeing you around, somewhere..."

The mystery behind the two left me wondering about the real intentions of Team Rocket. Even as an inter-regional syndicate, I could not believe that it would just reveal their organizational objectives. I thought it was already too obvious for everyone, but maybe there was a hidden meaning to it... but at least they provided me with the last piece of information I needed. But I was still unsure whether it was the right info I really needed. "_He would not accept it without first seeing his family for the last time before turning himself in._" When I looked back after reading the article for the second time, Jessie, James, and Meowth were nowhere to be seen.

That was the last Pikachu and I saw Team Rocket.

When I arrived back home, the first thing I told Tracey, Dawn, and mom was the surprise meeting with Team Rocket. Though I skipped the battle details, I focused much of the discussion into the newspaper article James gave me. Tracey read aloud the article and it brought shock to mom.

"Why would the leader just give himself in immediately," Dawn asked. "I – I mean, if it were me, I'd say it was a foolish move to do so."

It left me wondering so much. "Maybe... there's something I've overlooked."

"So how did the meeting with Professor Oak go?" mom suddenly asked.

I told them about the information pertaining to Pikachu and the original trainer. I told them that it was my father who originally owned Pikachu. Though it didn't seem important, I also told them about the electrical experiment Professor Oak had been doing before I got the Pikachu. When I was done with the story, we all fell silent. If Brock were here, he would be the first to speak up and give a comment or a suggestion.

* * *

_"Ash," came Brock's voice, "your parents are here."_

_My parents? I wondered if I would recognize my parents, because all that time, I never knew who my parents were. But if I could see their faces – then I could maybe get a little recollection. I watched the hospital room open as three people walk in. My eyes became blurry and my mind started shutting down. I was getting sleepy from understanding too much things in too little time. I had to rest._

_But I did make the figures of Brock and my supposed mother coming into the room – and my mother coming forward and weeping uncontrollably as she hugged me. My head was still focused, yet I tried to make the figure of my father coming inside the room. I couldn't see properly. As the tall figure of my father approached towards my hospital bed, my eyes continued to black out. But just as my consciousness nulled, I heard the words that he said..._

_"My son... I'm so proud of you..."_

I woke up in a cold sweat. I still remembered my dream – the dream I had when I was unconscious from the tornado incident. My mind was scrambling and all what I was thinking was about my father. It seemed I would never rest until I would see him again. I listened carefully to my breathing as the pace slowed down. Pikachu was fast asleep in my bed.

It was only half past one in the early morning, but I could not sleep after that. I silently lay on the bed and waited for morning to come. But when it was four in the morning, I heard a small sound that rang to the tune of "It's A Whole New World." I quietly got out of bed to trace the sound, but it was when I realized that it came from my Pokégear. I walked over Tracey (almost tripping when he suddenly moved his arm) and went to where my bag was. I took out the Pokégear and quickly scrambled out of the room.

.

_Shadows fill an empty heart as love is fading_

_From all the things that we are and are not saying_

_Can we see beyond the scars and make it through the dawn?_

_._

The hallway was partially lit (mom was still asleep) but it could be the best place to talk to the person calling me at this early morning. I checked to see who was calling me. The number flashing on the screen came from... May! I pressed the answer button.

.

_Change the colors of the sky and open up to_

_The ways you made me feel alive, the ways I loved you_

_From all the things that never die to make it through the night_

_Love will find you._

_._

"Ash," came the answer, "I'm using the recoding to tell you something. I know that you've been taking care of me... and that we've been very good friends for a long time." It was definitely May. I tried to answer back but I couldn't because it was a recording. "This is the last time I'll be talking to you, so please listen." I pressed my ears hard to the Pokétch so I could listen well to what she would say.

.

_What about now? What about today?_

_What if you're making me all that I was meant to be?_

_What if our love never went away?_

_What if it's lost behind cause we could never find_

_Maybe before it's too late?_

_What about now?_

.

"The air connects all of us – from me to you. That's what my dad said to me before he died. Wherever you may be, I know that you're watching my every step – like you're my guardian angel." Every word she spoke brought me closer to tears. "Sometimes we bicker and argue and we don't seem to argue with each other, but it just brought us closer to what we've become." She paused there for a moment and continued as I listened on.

.

_Sun is breaking in your eyes to start a new day_

_This broken heart can still survive with the touch of your grace_

_Shadows fade into the light, I am by your side_

_Where love will find you..._

_._

"At times, I felt emotionally attached to you and I just couldn't resist myself to try and say how much I feel for you. And when we shared our kisses, my points in life became so bright." I could hear sobs over the call, and I knew that she was crying. "Because of you, I got to travel in new places and meet a lot of people. My life changed for the better, and all these I thank you."

.

_What about now? What about today?_

_What if you're making me all that I was meant to be?_

_What if our love never went away?_

_What if it's lost behind cause we could never find_

_Maybe before it's too late?_

_._

"But I feel that I've gone too far too much," she continued, "and I don't know where it leads me. I'm in my own journey in pursuit of my own quest. But I would really want you to know something..." she paused again for a moment. "We made a promise back there about seeing each other again one day. Yes, I'll see you one day, Ash. But it won't be so easy..." I was starting to cry.

.

_What about now?_

_Now that we're here... now that we've come this far, just hold on..._

_There is nothing to fear, for I am right beside you_

_For all my life, I am yours..._

_._

"Ash, if ever you'll get this message, I want you to know that... I still love you from the bottom of my heart. Even if you get a girl to be happy with for the rest of your life, I will never leave your side... because... because you mean a lot to me."

.

_What about now? What about today?_

_What if you're making me all that I was meant to be?_

_What if our love never went away?_

_What if it's lost behind cause we could never find_

_._

Even while she was far away, I could feel the words needling into my heart. "I guess that's all I can say. Ash, I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings in any way when we were traveling together. But if you want to say something, say it when I'm done."

.

_What about now? What about today?_

_What if you're making me all that I was meant to be?_

_What if our love never went away?_

_What if it's lost behind cause we could never find_

_Maybe before it's too late?_

_Maybe before it's too late... maybe before it's too late..._

_._

She paused once more before she spoke, "I'm done here... and it's getting late. Please, Ash, stay safe. Because if we can meet again after my journey's ended, I'll... I'll... _marry you._" And with that, she ended transmission. Though I was given a few seconds to say anything I wanted to say, I couldn't say anything. I shook my head in disbelief as I continued to stare down at the floor. I just ended the transmission. "What about now? Before it's too late?" I kept on saying to myself.

.

_What about now?_

_._

I found myself kneeling on the floor as I cried with all my heart out. It was the first time that I really cried this much. What May said... was she really serious? Did she really want to marry me when she would come back? Was this the last part of the promise we made? It was difficult for me to stand up... but I felt a pair of small and soft arms guide me up. I turned around to see who was guiding me... it was Dawn.

"You don't have to ask," she said silently, "I... I heard everything."

I was busted.

"I understand how she feels," Dawn said a bit guiltily, "especially when she saw us back in the Pokémon Center." I looked up at her.

To avoid any pain from harming us any further, we embraced each other.

"Ash," she said, "let's go back to sleep."

I nodded as we let go. I went back to the room and hopped back into bed. I put the Pokégear on the table beside me. I pulled my blanket over me and rolled to the side before I closed my eyes and thought no more.

WILL ASH'S FATHER BE EVER REVEALED? FIND OUT SOON...

* * *

Next chapter on Winner Takes Ash: Francine

"Honey," mom came into the bedroom suddenly, "somebody wants to look for you."

I took no particular interest, but I decided to follow mom out of the room and to the living room. Pikachu followed me.

"Who is it?" I asked her.

"Well," mom answered, "some woman wants to have a word with you."

"Is it someone I know?" I questioned.

…

"Over there," I pointed out the place. The ground still looked a bit charred from Numel's attacks, but she agreed.

When we arrived in the place, the first thing I did was pick one of the Pokéballs from the belt and called it out. Numel came out of the Pokéball.

"Let's start things easy..." I told her. "We'll have a one-on-one training battle..."

She quickly put on her pair of red eyeglasses and threw a Pokéball into the air. It popped open and Blastoise came out of the Pokéball.

**To be continued...

* * *

**

**Existing chapters:**

**Prologue: The Pokémon Masters**

**Chapter 1: Face-Off**

**Chapter 2: Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3: Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4: Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

**Chapter 5: Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience**

**Chapter 6: Forest and Poisons**

**Chapter 7: It's A Whole New Gym Leader**

**Chapter 8: Brock's Flashback**

**Chapter 9: Pains of the Past**

**Chapter 10: Petalburg Pursuit – To the Maximum!**

**Chapter 11: Bringing Back the Young Days**

**Chapter 12: A Little Taste of Darkness**

**Chapter 13: Nightmares**

**Chapter 14: A Night in the Meadows**

**Chapter 15: The Amazing Transformation**

**Chapter 16: Tidal Terror**

**Chapter 17: Lost From the Tree**

**Chapter 18: Love Fever – Stricken!**

**Chapter 19: Three-Way Hostility**

**Chapter 20: Detection of Infection – A Virus Like No Other!**

**Chapter 21: A Secret of Two Trainers Unveiled**

**Chapter 22: Contest Preparations**

**Chapter 23: Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 24: More Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 25: Still More Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 26: A Girl's Sweetest Dreams**

**Chapter 27: The Voyage A Maple Has to Follow**

**Chapter 28: A Terrible Sight to Behold**

**Chapter 29: Not All Waterflowers Are Always Blue**

**Chapter 30: Return of Team Rocket – With A Twist!

* * *

**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Waaaaaaaahhh!!! Pearlshipping and Advancedshipping – in one chapter!!! And also a song with it. The song is titled "What About Now" sung by Chris Daughtry.

Hmm... to be honest, I really didn't think that it would just come out of my head someday. But at least I returned Team Rocket. Who is Ash's real father anyway?

Anyway, I would like to clarify about that last part when May is using a recording to record her call. What do you think she means when she said all those words? It will basically leave you with cliffhangers. (Midnightmoon602, if you're still cliffhanging, I might just as well step on your hands and let you fall down. ^^)

Another note: Chapter 31 was supposed to be Brock and Roll. However, I changed the plot at the last minute to make way for some events that would lead to the discovery and identity of Ash's father! Oh boy! Anyway, look out for the next chapter. I still haven't decided whether the special chapter can push through. Keep reading and reviewing folks!

So is this person somebody Ash knows? And who's Francine?

**The author does not own Pokémon Diamond and Pearl or Pokémon Platinum or any of its franchises. The author owns Winner Takes Ash.**

**PowerZone**


	33. Ch31: Francine

**CHAPTER 31: FRANCINE**

All the secrets sealed and safe... but not all will settle down just yet...

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 30) "Well, we'll be leaving, madam," said the woman. "I'm sorry to have taken your time."

"N-no," mom said and she grinned, "it was most welcome to talk to you... your tale was endearing."

"We'll take our leave right away," said the man. "Thank you so much for the tea... I feel like I've never tasted a good one in ages."

"You're very most welcome," mom said. She stood up and the two other guests followed. We watched them shake hands and the two of them turned to the door.

(Chapter 30) "Wh-What's happening?" I asked them angrily.

"The primary reason why we quit," Meowth said as it sharpened its claws. "To publicize organizational objectives means that the Interpol will be after all of us."

Jessie nodded. "We said it in front of the boss himself."

The boss himself...?

"W-Wait, how does this have to do anything with my father?" I asked them sternly.

James pointed to the article and said, "Why don't you read to find out?"

* * *

**STORY PROPER:**

**PART 1 - RECORD-BREAKER**

For the next few days, my head swirled around the article Jessie and James left me. The longer I read the article and absorbed the words into my head, the more my confusion arose. Why would Team Rocket's boss expose himself and his organizational plans to the public? It would certainly put the whole organization at risk to the police. It just didn't seem right. Even if I tried to examine how Team Rocket operates, it wouldn't lead me anywhere. One time, I asked Professor Oak about Team Rocket, but he didn't come out with any good information. Disappointment flooded me for many hours, but I almost gave up – and I decided to use the last hope with the article and wait what would happen next.

A week after I came home, Tracey and Dawn left the household and bid goodbye. Dawn parted with a little gift – an empty Luxury Ball. She said it was a thank-you-for-the-friendship gift. Though the parting hurt, I had to get over it. Now it was time for me to wait for another new region.

Professor Oak mentioned that Pikachu might be in its adult stage. Soon, I would have to leave Pikachu to rest in the house. It won't be much that Pikachu would always be with me, I admit. But as the very first Pokémon, I guess parting would be even harder. If ever there would be another region for me to discover, I guess Pikachu could still handle it for another five to seven years. Dawn's Luxury Ball might come in handy soon, so I put it inside a glass case on top of my dresser. I picked out five of my Pokémon to play in the garden – Numel, Donphan, Crawdaunt, Grotle, and Pikachu. As for me, I guess I would just have to rest and sleep.

One time, I found myself straying around the neighborhood and in the park where some people were battling. I was in my normal casual clothes, not in the attire I wore when I was traveling. Though I only brought three Pokémon with me, I had no desire to battle. I only brought them for safety purposes and nothing more. Sometimes, I longed for Numel to evolve, but other times, I was contented with what it had. In the park, I watched two Pokemon, Ivysaur and Magcargo, battle it out. Though Magcargo was a fire-type, Ivysaur's grass attacks dealt massive damage to it. Ivysaur was making use of shutting down Magcargo's speed so that it could reveal more of its rock-type, which grass moves are supper effective against it. In the end, Magcargo was able to gain the upper hand when the Flame Body ability burned the Ivysaur and pulled it off with a Lava Plume attack. I nodded and was pretty impressed.

"Hey, I heard that there's a trainer around who's going for the world record," someone told me. "The longest streak so far is five-hundred sixty-nine wins. This trainer already has five-hundred forty-one."

"Yeah? So what about it?" I asked him.

"He's coming to Pallet Town to break the world record," he told me.

I wanted to meet this trainer – who would probably go for the world record. But I just slipped away from the park and isolated myself.

"Time for some training," I told myself, then I prepared the three Pokéballs and threw them into the air. Numel, Glalie, and Floatzel came out of the Pokéballs. "Let's train guys," I told them.

Glalie's Ice Beam, Ice Fang, Powder Snow, Headbutt, Crunch, Protect, and Head Smash attacks were fine. But as it trained more, it learned a new move that crushed a whole tree and went through it... it was a steel-type attack, judging from the glowing head that Glalie was producing. The attack move was Iron Head, a move that Glalie cannot normally learn, just like Pikachu's Iron Tail. Glalie's Iron Head was enough to cause a little earthquake. But there were times when Glalie just got out of control. My next aim was to let Glalie learn its most wicked move, but I decided to leave it for a while.

Numel also had a handy of fire and ground attacks such as Flamethrower, Sunny Day, Fire Blast, Magnitude, Earth Power, and the secret move Arch Flare. It was also fine with its Take Down and Amnesia moves. Numel was doing its best with developing its fire power.

Floatzel was also good with its moves: Ice Fang, Aqua Jet, Bubblebeam, Whirlpool, Crunch, Agility, Swift, and Razor Wind. I had Floatzel do some damage tests against Numel, so Numel could put for the endurance. Floatzel's Bubblebeam was fierce, but Numel's Amnesia was able to make it hold on. When it came to Aqua Jet, all Numel can do was dodge. I guess I still needed Numel to get used to enduring its natural weakness.

That afternoon, I called off the training and I returned the three Pokémon back. I passed by Professor Oak's laboratory to deposit Glalie and Floatzel. I had the chance to know more about Team Rocket, but I did not push my luck for it. I left the laboratory and started heading back home. I passed by the park once more, and to my surprise there were more people than before. Had the record-breaking trainer come? There was only one way to find out.

I struggled my way through the crowd to get a good glimpse of the trainer. The noises of moves and commands made me realize that there was a battle going on. When I was able to get through, I was able to watch a Blastoise battle against a Flaaffy. That moment, I watched Flaaffy use Thunderbolt against Blastoise. The electric attack did hit Blastoise, but Blastoise was able to store its energy to shrug off the lightning and therefore Flaaffy dealing very little electric damage. The Flaaffy belonged to a kid, while the Blastoise belonged to a female trainer, whose build and resembled almost represented that of Cynthia.

"Blastoise, Hydro Cannon now!" Then she called to everyone, "Everyone please clear away!"

Blastoise charged water in its two pumps as it prepared for the final attack. Everyone suddenly scrambled to clear the sidelines so that they wouldn't be heavily soaked.

"Flaaffy," called the other trainer, "use Thunder on one of the pumps!"

Flaaffy's Thunder was strong and fierce enough to seriously electrify the Blastoise, but the Hydro Cannon gave way. The two pumps exerted maximum blast of water that it tore through the Thunder like a hot knife through butter. Flaaffy was blasted backward from the water power and it fainted from the impact. The trainer, defeated and disappointed, returned its Flaaffy to its Pokéball.

It had me wondering if the Pokémon I had in my belt would win against a Blastoise that powerful.

"That makes it five-hundred sixty-six," I overheard one of the onlookers. So she would only need two more battles to break the world record. "_Hmm... could be a good challenge..._"

One capable trainer stepped forward to face the record-breaker.

"I only go for five matches a day," she spoke gently. She didn't seem so intimidating. "This is my third match. I hope you're ready." If this was her third match, then that means, if ever she won, she would be in the record of five-hundred and sixty nine.

The challenger picked out Victreebel while the opponent used Blastoise again.

After a few minutes of intense battling, Blastoise was able to pull out the win once more with its Skull Bash attack. That made her win streak five-hundred seventy-seven.

The trainer returned her Blastoise and switched out with a Tyranitar.

Another challenger brought out a Machamp to battle the Tyranitar. It took almost five minutes into the battle before Machamp was able to pull off a perfect Seismic Toss attack. Everyone thought the record was broken, but Tyranitar countered it with a Thunderbolt attack. Machamp was being tossed down to the ground. Another victory for Tyranitar and the trainer... and that made five-hundred sixty-eight.

Another trainer went forward with her Quagsire to battle against Tyranitar. Though Quagsire did good in its Mud Bomb, Earthquake, Muddy Water, and Hydro Pump attacks, but they were not enough to bring Tyranitar down. Though the ground properties of Quagsire repelled the electric attacks, Tyranitar used its strength to hoist Quagsire into the air before using Hyper Beam and Thunderbolt on mid-air to bring it down. That made the victory streak the record.

Everyone cheered, including me. She returned her Tyranitar and said, "I've had enough for today." When she said those, everyone suddenly became disappointed.

Just then, "I'll challenge you."

I wasn't the one who said that, so I turned my head to who said it. I made out a dirty white lab coat and brown spiky hair that belonged to... Gary Oak!

"Gary!"

Gary caught my call. He nodded something that must mean, "_Watch me..._" He stepped forward to the challenger's post.

At that moment, a great commotion swept everywhere. Even I had to wonder myself, could Gary, a Pokémon trainer turned Pokémon researcher, possibly break the record? I had some doubts about that for a minute, but knowing Gary as a rival and a Pokémon trainer, I could feel his confidence.

"Hmm," said the female trainer, "you seem strong... and more capable than all the other challengers." She prepared a Pokéball. "I'll make an exception. Bring out your Pokémon!" She threw her Pokéball into the battlefield and her Rhyperior came out.

Gary smiled for a moment as I (and everyone else) saw him pick out a Pokéball from his lab coat and threw it to the battlefield. "Make some sparks fly!" The Pokéball popped open and his prize Pokémon, Electrivire, came out. The commotion continued as we heard the onlookers making doubts about the match-up. But I knew Gary, he was not stupid or anything. But I was really interested to know what his Electivire learned since our last battle.

"Why'd you choose an Electivire of all Pokémon?" the female trainer asked.

"Three reasons," Gary answered as he raised three fingers up. "First, this is my only Pokémon with me right now. Second, I put my faith and desire in my sheer determination to win, no matter the match-up of my opponent. Third, I think someone here in the crowd should be itching to see me battle after all these years." He eyed me for a moment, and I watched him look back at the trainer.

"Very well," she said, "I'm going all out with my Pokémon. Hope you're a worthy challenger to beat my streak."

And with that, the battle commenced.

"Thunderbolt!" Gary called.

The Thunderbolt was not meant for Rhyperior, though it was to shoot in the air, the lightning redirected itself to Rhyperior and was absorbed. This gave us an idea that Rhyperior's ability was Lightningrod.

Rhyperior settled with Rock Wrecker. The large chunk of rock that shot from the artillery arm was forcefully exerted to Electivire.

"Light Screen!"

Electivire quickly set up a barrier of light to deflect the incoming blast of rock. The light screen shattered when the rock came in contact, but the power dealt to Electivire was light.

In the next turn, Electivire settled with a Thunderpunch aimed directly at Rhyperior. Rhyperior went for the Horn Drill.

It would seem that an electric attack would deal no damage to a rock-and-ground Pokémon, but I knew that there was more than just a Thunderpunch. Rhyperior went headfirst to Electivire. The Thunderpunch was not meant for Rhyperior directly, but on the drill. Electivire managed an uppercut to the drill. The electric intensified as the drill kept spinning. And after a few seconds, a light explosion occurred.

"Interesting," said the female trainer, "using a Thunderpunch to shut down the Horn Drill attack."

"_I had to hand it to Gary,_" I thought while I pulled a smirk and watched the two large Pokémon battle out against each other. "_There's still the trainer's spark inside him... He's never lost his spirit of battling even as a researcher._"

Rhyperior shot forward with another Rock Wrecker attack, but Electivire deflected it with Protect. Not much concept, so the battle continued. Rhyperior decided to take its chances in using Earthquake attack. Yet, Gary was cunning enough. He let his Electivire use the two wires absorb the shock. This was something new for me.

"Thunderbolt!"

When the Earthquake settled down, Electivire shot a wave of lightning that also had a ground-shaking effect. The lightning did good damage to Rhyperior. The damaged drill must have let some more electricity discharge in it, and the earthquake would not let Rhyperior stand its ground. For the first time, the female trainer's etched a face of surprise, though she was still grinning. Some people muttered that Gary could just break that record.

"Stone Edge around yourself!"

Rhyperior blasted a strong wave of stones from its artillery arm. The wave of stones built around Rhyperior and scattered across the battlefield.

"Electivire," Gary called, "use your Iron Tail!"

"Earthquake immediately!"

As Electivire rushed for the Iron Tail, Rhyperior made a fierce stomp to the ground. Electivire stopped on its track as the stones that were scattered in the battlefield flew up into the air and started raining on the two Pokémon. Rhyperior seemed to have no effect, but Electivire had trouble dodging the rain of rocks and it even had to use some of its punches to destroy the rocks. However, it did not notice that Rhyperior had snuck up behind it.

"Mega Punch!"

Electivire had little time and energy to flee and the Mega Punch, more of an uppercut, found its mark. The onlookers made a long "Oh" sound as Electivire landed on the ground. But the Mega Punch was not enough to bring down Electivire.

"Not bad," called the female trainer to Gary, "I knew it wasn't over."

Gary adjusted his lab coat collar and said, "I said that we'll make sparks fly everywhere." He directed a finger back at Rhyperior. "Electivire, Thunderbolt over Rhyperior!"

The lightning flew and streaked fast across the battlefield. The lightning quickly redirected to Rhyperior, and Rhyperior absorbed the lightning. However, the damaged horn produced enough shock to deal some discharge. But it was not enough to knock out Rhyperior.

"Rock Wrecker once more!" Rhyperior's next chunk of rock was larger than the previous one. Electivire had to use Iron Tail to tear through the rock.

I had a hunch that Gary would have to damage the drill beforehand, because Rhyperior's drill acted as a power storage. If it does Horn Attack, Horn Drill, and other attacks that require the horn, then the damage will be dealt less. Gary had his Electivire use Discharge so that a wave of electricity scattered around the battlefield. Though some waves of electricity disfigured the battlefield, the electricity that came near Rhyperior rounded themselves and came for the drill.

"Dig your drill on the ground!" she ordered.

Rhyperior dug its drill on the ground and the electricity deflected on Rhyperior's armor. Gary would need to think of another plan. But he spotted the battlefield disfiguration.

"Earthquake," called the female trainer. Rhyperior's gigantic stomp shook the whole battlefield. The quake intensified the power from the ground disfiguration. Electivire had to use Protect to shield it from the quake.

Electivire settled with Thunderpunch while Rhyperior decided to shield it by crossing its arms in front of itself. While Rhyperior took the chance on stopping Electivire, it unleashed a Horn Drill attack. However, the drill did not function as efficiently as it normally should and the attack was reduced to a normal damage instead of a one-hit KO. Gary and the female trainer noticed the weakened Horn Drill as well.

"Iron Tail," Gary called once more. Electivire charged forward to slam its steel-hard tail. Rhyperior launched another wave of rocks from its artillery arms. The wave of rocks from the left arm went for Electivire, while the right wave of rocks were scattered everywhere. Electivire's Iron Tail crushed the incoming rocks, but the more Electivire crushed the rocks, the weaker the power became. Electivire was not able to land the move on Rhyperior, because Rhyperior shot out another stream of rocks. Electivire was forced to use Protect to shield the rocks.

In the next turn, Rhyperior used Earthquake once more to send the stones flying. It was as if she would repeat the process in sneaking up on Electivire to land another attack. I hope Gary knew what he was up for.

"Electivire," Gary called suddenly, "Thunder!"

Electivire let loose a strong surge of blinding electricity that instantly disintegrated all the airborne rocks. It also shaped the battlefield so badly. When the Thunder cleared, a black haze filled the battlefield and Electivire was in the middle of it. The battlefield looked so bad that it was almost as if a real earthquake struck the place. We had to scatter further and we kept on backing away every attack they had made.

"Finish it off with your Rock Wrecker!" she called.

Rhyperior's Rock Wrecker was its strongest yet. It shot a very large chunk of stone as it aimed towards Electivire.

"That Electivire's finished," came a commotion.

"She's going to break the world record!" came another.

The blast of rock went through the haze into Electivire's direction. However, when the rock came in contact with Electivire, Electivire disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"H-how was that possible?" came the commotions of many.

It seemed that the female trainer recognized the tactic right away. "Earthquake, Rhyperior!"

Electivire was underground, and even an Earthquake attack could deal damage to it. However, Rhyperior would have to leap up into the air to stomp hard on the ground – and that was the setback. The moment Rhyperior launched into the air, Gary called out, "Thunder, full power!"

The lightning attack shot out from underneath Rhyperior and the electrical beam shot to the sky. Rhyperior was lost inside the lightning – the damaged drill would act as the damage energizer, so that Rhyperior would seriously be electrified. I think I figured out Gary's plan. "_To subdue Rhyperior in the air, Rhyperior would lose some ground properties. And so electric attacks would deal some damage on it. In the beginning, the damaged drill would act as a lightning rod so that electric attacks done to it would harm Rhyperior. Gary's Electivire has been through tough times and I'm sure they can pull out in the end._" The rest of the onlookers were lost in awe and shock.

When the lightning cleared, Electivire quickly scrambled out of the ground, and Rhyperior started descending. However, Rhyperior still had some energy to use Rock Wrecker once more. The rock blasted out quickly and it hit the tired Electivire square on its belly. After that, Rhyperior landed on the ground with a large thud that shook the battlefield.

Everyone fell silent to watch if Rhyperior or Electivire would stand up. If Rhyperior still survived, then the female trainer would break the world record. But if Electivire stood victorious, then the streak would be broken. After a few seconds of intense suspense, both Pokémon struggled to stand up. The two of them stood up after such difficulty, but they found it hard to continue. The two trainers didn't give the next move – probably because of shock, or maybe waiting to look at the next move of the opponent. But the options gave way when Rhyperior and Electivire collapsed and fainted.

Gary returned his Electivire and the woman returned her Rhyperior.

"That was a draw," he told her, "no win, no loss." And after that, he turned away from the crowd and headed back to the direction of Professor Oak's laboratory.

Amidst all the commotions of the onlookers, I scrambled through the crowd to look for Gary, but when I made my way through, he was gone. Why did I witness him when I couldn't get a chance to talk to him? And what was that when he meant... "_Third, I think someone here in the crowd should be itching to see me battle after all these years._" I looked side to side to find any trace of him, but I gave up. He just simply... disappeared.

* * *

That night, I stared at the Luxury Ball. Maybe looking at it would remind me of what happened when I was with Dawn. All sorts of memories came back to me... the time when I met her in Twinleaf Town, the daily slices of life and the adventures we went through, then the victories and defeats we've shared, and memories we've imprinted. I did not feel quite so much emotion at that time. To tell the truth, I was rather getting sleepy. But for a strange reason, I couldn't keep my eyes off the ball. The Luxury Ball acts as a Pokéball that befriends the caught Pokémon. It promotes increased friendship growth between the Pokémon and the trainer that caught it. Maybe it was Dawn's way of telling me not to forget the friendship that we shared. Even as I got sleepy, I could still smile at myself. But there was one question that could not be answered: would she come back?

My life would be going back to normal – I would just be the ordinary teenager. Soon, my fame would be forgotten, but my name would still be born on the championship trophy that I possessed. Everyday, I would gaze on the cupboard that had all my achievements as a trainer (then I called it the Cupboard of Achievements) and look at all the sparkling thirty-six badges and seven symbols from the Battle Frontier. Until a new region would be revealed for me to explore, I guess I could help out with the chores and train my Pokémon if I wanted to. That way, I could build myself more physically and mentally to be better prepared. And if ever fate succumbed to my expectations, maybe my father – my real father – would come home, even if I can only catch a glimpse of his fleeting shadow.

I tried to call May a few times but her Pokégear won't pick up. Maybe, the Pokégear isn't registered with the Almia region, May's Pokégear might be turned off, or maybe it was damaged or unusable. Days went by and I waited for any call – from Brock, Tracey, Dawn, or Misty... but none came. Not that I felt furious or disappointed, but maybe I was a little not too confident with myself. Pikachu got bored the more the minutes passed, and I was reduced to tossing the Luxury Ball in the air while lying down on the bed.

"Honey," mom came into the bedroom suddenly, "somebody wants to look for you."

I took no particular interest, but I decided to follow mom out of the room and to the living room. Pikachu followed me.

"Who is it?" I asked her.

"Well," mom answered, "some woman wants to have a word with you."

"Is it someone I know?" I questioned.

"I – I don't think so," mom said. She went to the doorway and opened the door. Because of the partition, I couldn't see who she was talking to. All I knew that it was a woman who wanted to see me. I watched mom nod and step back.

The visitor stepped into the house – then we looked at each other face to face.

"Hey, you're that..."

It was the female trainer who was imposing challenges to try and break her winning streak. My face turned into surprise and shock. She looked more grand than she was back in the park. She seemed to be about my height, but her flaming red hair curled back and arched to the ground. Her tender gray eyes lit ablaze when she set her eyes on me. It intimidated me a bit, but her red polo vest over her white shirt and her gray skirt made up for the fashion. She also had a silver necklace on her. This person was quite beautiful, and I could say that she was a few years older than me. She observed me for a while as I just stayed there frozen on the spot while my eyes followed the direction she went.

"Hmm," she started. Her voice didn't seem like the time she was battling. She seemed... innocent today. "Ash Ketchum, the lone representative from Pallet Town in the Sinnoh Golden Conference League..." then she quickly pulled a pair of red eyeglasses from her coat pocket and wore them. "You're for real...?"

I couldn't control my mouth from trembling, maybe because the way she was observing me was freaking me out. Pikachu was giggling.

"Your build is fine for your age," she continued observing as she raised her eyes from the legs to the torso, "you have the hairstyle of a gorilla..." gorilla!!! I wanted to punch her... "And you seem to be... flexible and headstrong."

"His friends say that he can be clumsy sometimes," mom added, "but it often makes him stand out from the rest."

"_Great, just great,_" I thought bitterly and sweated while being mashed to a blob by this over-observant girl, "_way to put the worm in the apple._"

"Um," I spoke, "may I ask what do you want from me?"

The young woman put away her eyeglasses and cleared her throat. "My name is Francine," she introduced herself and she sat on the couch across from me.

I nodded. "You're that trainer from the park."

"Yup," she said cheerfully, "I'm that trainer from the park."

I nodded again, but for a different reason. "So... how and why did you come?"

"Your friend in the lab coat gave me directions," she answered and giggled.

"_Gary..._"

Francine cleared her throat again. "Anyway, why I came here..." she looked at me for a moment as I waited an answer out of her, "...you're the Sinnoh League champion, and... I want to train under you."

…

"Wh..."

…

"WHHAAAAAAAAAATTT!!!"

Now that was just the stupidest answer I've heard.

"No way," I snapped, "you've got already powerful Pokémon with you... so why do I have to train you? I don't see any benefit from doing so." And with that, I quickly led her to the front door and shoved her out. "Well, nice meeting you Francine, it was a pleasure." I didn't watch if she would walk away, but I turned away from her.

"You don't see any benefit from doing so, huh?" she said. I stopped on my tracks. I listened closely. "Train me... and I'll give you a benefit you won't refuse..."

I didn't turn around from where I stood. "What's the benefit."

Francine didn't seem to come closer. "The whereabouts... and the identity... of your father."

The last word echoed in my head, and I couldn't sleep well that night. I sat up on the bed and stood up, then approached the door and switched on the light. It was eleven in the evening. Pikachu was huddled under the blanket, so I didn't want to wake him up. I opened the drawer and picked up Francine's calling card (no, she wasn't a businessman or something... I guess it was a way for her to keep in touch with people). She lived in Hearthrome City in the Sinnoh region. But it would be a waste if I went all the way there just to find her. I recalled what she said before she left.

"I'll be calling you tonight..."

I had to make my decision. I guess it wouldn't hurt if I trained her, if the benefit was knowing who my real father was. But I still didn't trust her... what is she was pulling my leg?"

"_It's a whole new world we live in..._" the Pokégear! I quickly snatched it from the desk and slowly walked out of the room. The number was not registered in the list, but I had a nagging feeling that it was from that person. I pressed the answer button.

"Hello?" I answered while keeping my voice down.

"Hi, Mr. Ketchum," came Francine's cheerful voice. How could she be cheerful at this time of night?

"Please call me Ash," I said, "it's more comfortable."

"Okay," said Francine, "so... have you decided?"

It wasn't a straight decision, but I guess I would go for the flow... if it would mean that I could find my father after all these years. So... "When do you want to start training?"

* * *

**PART 2 – MENTOR AND STUDENT**

"So, what's a good spot you want to train?" I asked her.

With Pikachu on my shoulder and five other Pokéballs latched onto my belt, Francine and I scanned the area outside the town to find a got spot to train. I spotted the area where I trained the day I watched Frances and Gary battled in the park.

"Over there," I pointed out the place. The ground still looked a bit charred from Numel's attacks, but she agreed.

When we arrived in the place, the first thing I did was pick one of the Pokéballs from the belt and called it out. Numel came out of the Pokéball.

"Let's start things easy..." I told her. "We'll have a one-on-one training battle..."

She quickly put on her pair of red eyeglasses and threw a Pokéball into the air. It popped open and Blastoise came out of the Pokéball.

"So you're starting off with Blastoise," I told her. "As you know, Numel is a fire-and-ground type. Water attacks can deal four times the damage to Numel." I folded my arms. "Well, try to deal water damage to Numel."

Francine had her Blastoise use Bubblebeam. Numel saw the stream of giant bubbles come at it fast, but I trained Numel to stay alert and it was able to dodge the bubbles with ease.

"My training style is for my Pokémon to make up with its inefficient stats," I said to her. "For example, I trained Numel to keep up with its speed. You should try to find a way to shut down the speed while keeping up with your own attacks." Numel didn't even seem to break a sweat dodging the bubbles. "Numel, let's use Flamethrower!"

Numel's Flamethrower hit Blastoise square in the chest, but it just shook off the fire. "Your Blastoise is capable with its defense," I observed. "But you should be careful is you rely too much... sometimes, even the smallest of fire can induce the most severe of burns."

Francine nodded. "Blastoise, use your Hydro Pump!"

"Fire Blast!"

Blastoise's Hydro Pump and Numel's Fire Blast took off at the same time. The Hydro Pump had a little difficulty tearing through the Fire Blast, but it tore through it and it hit Numel.

"Well, was that a victory?" Francine said as she stroked her red hair. Much to her dismay, Numel still stood.

"When you catch a Pokémon," I told her, "do you watch for its weaknesses? Do you try to make it up for its weakness and make it endure with the moves powerful against it?" Numel shook off the water. "For Numel, the Hydro Pump was nothing more than a bath in the hot spring." It made me recall something. "The Hydro Cannon was able to tear through the Thunder in that battle against Flaaffy," I said to her. "Can you provide an explanation why Hydro Pump had a rough time with the Fire Blast?"

"You weakened the power of that Hydro Pump with the Fire Blast," Francine explained. "The two attacks have roughly the same power, so that's why the Hydro Pump had a little of trouble tearing through the Fire Blast!" I nodded and smiled... Francine did have enough knowledge to make it through five-hundred and sixty-nine battles.

I raised a thumbs-up. But I knew that somewhere in the corner of my mind, I was embarrassed to mentor an older trainer. I guess the Pokémon Master blood in me was still there. "Very well, it's my turn. Numel, use your Sunny Day!"

Numel intensified a bright ray from the sun so that the battlefield became bright. "You know the effects of Sunny Day, right?"

Francine nodded. "Sunny day powers up fire-type moves," she answered. "Numel's fire attacks will be greatly boosted. But our Blastoise can handle the flame." Then she commanded her Blastoise, "Blastoise, use your Hydro Cannon!"

Blastoise took a little while to charge some water in its pumps. But Numel began to watch cautiously and act strangely. That time, I was in a bit of stress. But I wanted Numel to dodge. Just then, I watched a ray of light gather around Numel. And then... Numel glowed blinding white. It was nothing normal for me for Numel to react this way. Was it... evolving? Before Blastoise could blast its Hydro Cannon attack, Numel changed form. And when the blinding light went away, Camerupt was standing on the battlefield.

"A Camerupt," I muttered. I scanned through my Pokédex to look more on the information of Camerupt. It appeared that my Camerupt possessed the Solid Rock ability.

Blastoise shot two strong bursts of water from its pumps and seared straight for Camerupt. The waters hit fiercely. Camerupt did its best to endure the water. After a few seconds of sheer determination, Camerupt shook off the water. It looked enraged.

"Wh-What... but how?" Francine said, wearing a face of shock and surprise.

"If I can recall," I explained Camerupt's survival, "Solid Rock powers down the effects of super-effective moves." I did a little calculation on my mind. "A Hydro Cannon could be weakened to dealing damage to only one of Camerupt's match-up. Also, Sunny Day is in effect, so Hydro Cannon's power is further reduced by one-half. Therefore, Hydro Cannon could do one-fourth the damage done to Camerupt. Considering that water attacks do four times the damage to Camerupt, and with Solid Rock and Sunny Day in effect, water attacks now do only normal damage."

Francine seemed impressed. "I guess your training really paid off."

"Nah," I said as I shook my head. "I'm sure Numel wouldn't survive that attack. Maybe, Numel's willpower made it evolve." Camerupt looked around and nodded.

"So if water attacks would do little good against Camerupt," Francine said, "I guess I'll settle with Skull Bash!"

Finally... Blastoise charged head-first for Camerupt to attempt a Skull Bash attack.

"Let's have a taste of our Arch Flare attack!"

"What in the world is an Arch Flare attack?" Francine yelled.

Her question was answered when she watched Camerupt form an arch of fire over itself. Camerupt waited until Blastoise would inflict damage on it.

BAM!

As Blastoise dealt the blow to Camerupt, Camerupt was knocked backward. However, the arch of fire was now over Blastoise. Suddenly, the arch rained a barrage of fire over Blastoise. The small comet-like flame exploded as Blastoise took much damage from the flames, as Sunny Day was in effect. Blastoise barely survived the turn, but Camerupt went down from exhaustion. I nodded and returned Camerupt to its Pokéball.

"You did outstanding." I told Camerupt inside its Pokéball. "You deserve some rest."

Francine returned her Blastoise.

"That was great," she said thrillingly. "All right, you rest now."

"Remember that match you had with Gary, the guy in the lab coat," I called out to her. "His battle plan against your Rhyperior was to find its weakest point and shut down its source of energy. When it did so, electric attacks would work well against Rhyperior while it drained electricity onto the drill. It's like a nerve in your body gone disfigured that you would feel pain if you just touched it." But then, I realized something... "Hey Francine, do you really claim that you got through five hundred sixty-eight battles and winning every one of them?"

"Why?" she said as she stroked her hair. "Is there something wrong?"

"Well, now that you ask," I said to her. "What is your battle plan?"

It took some thinking for Francine. That was when I assumed that she didn't take her training seriously. "Well, I rely on strength, power, and defense."

I nodded. "That's a fine battle plan," I told her. "But you can't win all the time with those. The reason why you managed to get through five-hundred sixty-eight battles was because your Pokémon had a tough attack and defense power. However, you never considered the condition of the battle." My voice was raised. "You panicked when you saw your Rhyperior's drill damaged from the Thunderpunch, though you feigned impression."

Francine tried to keep her ground as I continued while I tried not to attack her emotionally, "Well, if you noticed... I have my ace partner, Pikachu, with me. You might be wondering why I didn't make it evolve into a Raichu."

"Yeah, come to think of it," she said.

"Sometimes, evolved Pokémon might not be able to learn the moves that its pre-evolved form can learn," I explained. "But you might know that already, right?"

She nodded.

I walked over to her. "There are many other things you have to consider when you're in a battle... let's have a little walk shall we?"

* * *

Francine and I, with Pikachu resting on top of my head, walked the path through the field outside the town. "In battle, you have to look out for three things," I raised three fingers. "First, the surroundings of the battle. Second, the Pokémon you are facing. Third, the probable moves that can be launched. They're the basic elements of awareness in battle." I put my fingers down. "You have to know if the battlefield you're battling on is grass, ground, water, etc. Also, you have to take note of the weather. Is it clear? Is it raining? Also, when your Pokémon is facing off another Pokémon, you have to consider the physical attributes of the Pokémon you're facing. Some moves have advantage and disadvantages in physical attributes such as height and weight. From these physical attributes, you have to be careful of the moves they can pose. A larger opponent's physical moves can be very painful against a small Pokémon if it's not well-trained to endure it.

"Power is one of the three things needed to win in battles," I told her as we continued walking through thicker patches of grass. "Strategy is another. Just like that battle with Gary, he modified the battlefield so that the Earthquake attack would be more less-damaging. I remember one time that my Pikachu faced off against a Rhydon. Electric attacks would do no damage at all to Rhydon, but when it used an electric attack on the drill, things changed for the better." I smiled at Pikachu then at Francine as I continued explaining. "As a trainer, it's your job to figure things out in battle. You have to make things work out when your Pokémon is in a tight spot."

We arrived in a spot where it was impossible to walk any further – because the grassy patches were already acting as a barrier. I picked out one of my Pokéballs and called out Swellow. Swellow raised its wings high and proud.

"How are you?" I asked it.

"_Swellow-swel!_" Swellow responded and nodded. It seemed fine.

"Very well," I said. "Do you mind if we can feel the wind?" Swellow nodded. After its response, I embarked on Swellow's back, while Pikachu rested on its head.

"H-how about me?" Francine said doubtfully.

"Do you have any Pokémon that can fly?" I asked her.

"No," she said. "I only brought three Pokémon with me. Sorry."

"Aww, it's too early to apologize."

I picked out another of my Pokéball and threw it to the air. Staraptor popped out from it and soared overhead us in a circle before landing on the ground beside us. "Ride on Staraptor," I told her. "Don't worry, it can handle a person of my weight."

Francine seemed nervous as she rode on Staraptor.

"Have you ever flown on a flying Pokémon?"

"N-No..."

"Then let's fly!" At the same time, Swellow and Staraptor took off to the sky, while Francine started screaming. It took her a little while before she started laughing, then she yelled, "This is fun!" The two birds shot through the wind like bullets as the breeze blew against us. I had to keep my cap intact from blowing off my head, but I had an idea. Maybe I could let Francine ride around for a bit... I took off my cap and threw it like a boomerang. (We were about a hundred feet off the ground.) After seven seconds or so, I called to Staraptor, "Staraptor, use Agility and get the cap!"

"Ash, don't make meeeeeeeeeee..." before she could finish her sentence, Staraptor started to go for the cap like a bullet. I watched the two of them as Pikachu, Swellow, and I cheered and laugh. But when Staraptor caught the cap, I saw the two of them jerk a little bit... and the next thing I knew, Francine started falling. We could practically hear her scream.

"HEEEEEEEELLP!!!"

"Staraptor," I called, "catch her!"

Staraptor started soaring downward. It was able to catch Francine about three seconds after I called it. When it did so, Staraptor flew back to us.

"Let's land," I said.

Upon landing, Francine, Pikachu, and I went off the two birds. I wanted to ask her something about how it felt for her to fly, but before I knew it, a big hand struck sharply across my cheek. It took me a while to regain my composure when I saw Francine standing there angrily in front of me. I guess the question would come later... But my focus broke when her icy glare became evident that she was definitely angry.

"Ash," she hissed, "the one thing I hate about Pokémon is when they play dirty tricks."

"It wasn't dirty," I told her. "I wanted you to feel how it felt to fly like a bullet."

"Well that slap of mine was a bullet," she snapped.

I breathed in and out and tried not to get over myself in being angry with her. "Okay, I'm sorry... You just never flew with a flying Pokémon so I wanted you to experience the fun."

Though I thought it would ease the conflict a little bit, Francine looked away and crossed her arms. "Tell me, Ash, what's the third thing needed to win in battles aside from power and strategy."

I felt the part where it hurt. I've never been slapped so hard by a girl – it really hurt. Yet, that slap alone brought me memories. Memories that would only ache my emotions... memories of bliss that I thought once would never go away... but I knew that these were memories that I cherished and now turned into illusions that fluttered away in the wind. She made me happy in times of loneliness. I just needed some comfort. But I didn't want Francine to see me crying. I flashed my arm across my face to wipe all the tears.

"Is... is something wrong?" Francine asked worriedly.

"N-No," I said, "nothing... I'm fine."

"Look," she said, "I'm really sorry about what I did..."

"It's okay..."

Francine nodded. "So... what's the third thing needed to win in battles?"

I looked at Pikachu and patted its head. "The third thing needed to win in battles... is friendship. To spend time with your Pokémon even outside battle... to grow a close bond with them... it's not only a moment to cherish and treasure. Sometimes, friendship strengthens their will to battle and may also enhance their power. They build the determination to win. Pokémon do not want to make their trainers feel down so they do everything to pull out all they've got. It's not always that you share friendship that you always win in battles. When the trainers accept the defeat and know that their Pokémon gave their all, the bond grows and the Pokémon will enhance their willpower to do better the next time." I turned back to Francine. "You see, Pikachu was my very first Pokémon and it has been with me all the way through thick and thin in between. It keeps the bond between me and my other Pokémon. We all share the victories and defeats and the lessons we learn. And for all that... we grow closer."

Francine and I stayed quiet for a while. I returned Swellow and Staraptor to their Pokéballs and thanked them for their time. Pikachu was prodding on a little Caterpie that was slowly crawling across the ground.

"Ash, I want to ask you something."

"Fire away."

"H-How come you know so much?"

I chuckled a bit. "It's all about experience. I guess even the Pokémon master still has yet a lot to learn... the secret that binds all the Pokémon and humans together." Norman said to me that I would find the secret that would bind all of us together (Chapter 12). If I felt this determined, then there was only one way for me to find it – and that was to move forward.

From that day on, we continued our hard training. My ultimate goal was for Francine to give me information about my real father. But I still stayed cautious in case she slipped the wrong idea. But for some strange reason, the more days we continued training and sharing experiences, the closer we became. At times, Francine jerked when she was too close to me when we were talking. She just wanted to train, so I trained her. She had knowledge in Pokémon, but I learned that she wanted to win no matter what. But whenever she would talk about trainers and her hair, it almost reminded me of a certain person. And I could not forget what she told me through her call.

* * *

Days passed and I started to realize how serious Francine was. She was just like May and Dawn, who were always doing their best in things. Francine's Pokémon developed more nerves of steel when they battled my trump cards. She felt happiest when I approved of her battle style, which became more tactical and strategical. I guess the mentoring paid off. I felt like she could tell me about my father anytime she could.

Two weeks passed and I felt like Francine learned a lot. We battled each other the past week everyday. Her Rhyperior's drill was able to regain its power and learn Megahorn and Water Pulse. I was really impressed when I had my Monferno use Close Combat effectively against Tyranitar, but it shielded itself with Sandstorm. When the Sandstorm cleared, Tyranitar was grabbing Monferno upside-down and used Thunderbolt to finish it off. I guessed she didn't need more any lessons. She's already learned a lot. All I needed was the information, but I didn't have to be forceful.

One night, we allowed Francine to stay. Mimee and Wobbie felt a bit attracted to her, and Francine treated them endearingly. "I have a thing for psychic Pokémon, but I never really caught one," she said. For me, Francine was already more of a student, she became one of my friends, and even mom treated her like family. I showed her the giant family tree of the Ketchum clan. When I checked our family, I was surprised to find out that mom had filled KC's post.

"Hey," she said surprisingly, "I never thought you had a sister."

I nodded and smiled. "She's currently training hard for the Pokémon League in Indigo Plateau. I think she's on the way to participate."

"The League will be starting in eight days," she said. "The news already announced the League to take place in eight days. You should watch your sister perform!"

Mom agreed that we should support KC in the League. Maybe she would surpass us and become the champion. There would be two champions in the family! Now I felt excited.

TIME TO SIT ON THE SIDELINES AS KC KETCHUM PARTICIPATES IN THE LEAGUE!

* * *

Next chapter on Winner Takes Ash: The Homecoming

"You have some explaining to do," I told her.

"Yeah? Like what?" KC asked wonderingly.

I thought about that for a while and said, "Like how you were able to get the final badge."

That was when KC spotted Francine. "Hey Ash," KC leaned closer, "that girl's with you right?" Then she whispered, "She must be your type."

My head flared up, "It's not funny," I hissed. "She's not who you think she is..."

Mom broke the two of us apart before it became an argument. Francine stepped forward to meet KC. "I'm well aware that you must be Ash's sister... KC, isn't it?"

KC nodded, but she still had a hint of doubt on her face. "Yes, I am... but how do you know me?"

...

Francine disappeared again... I was starting to feel suspicious of her doings. I went back to the place where we "dated" the last time, but she wasn't there. I had to think of possible places she could be, but I had no avail.

That was when something got hold of my mouth and I instantly passed out. The handkerchief must have been covered with chloroform. I could not recognize my assailant.

...

"How can I go there when I'm all tied here?"

Giovanni sighed. "You have... Pokémon with you, right?"

I grunted.

"Fine..." Giovanni said. Then he called out to some person behind me, "Untie the young man."

Though I wasn't able to view the one who started to untie me, I felt my body become lighter... to be free from the snare.

"Let's make a deal," Giovanni said as he stood up. "I will lead you to your father. I'll give you the time to talk with him – uninterrupted for two hours. However, when you're done, you will have to pledge your service to Team Rocket... As I said, I guarantee an admin spot for you. What do you, hmm?"

**TO BE CONTINUED...  


* * *

**

**Existing chapters:**

**Prologue: The Pokémon Masters**

**Chapter 1: Face-Off**

**Chapter 2: Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3: Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4: Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

**Chapter 5: Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience**

**Chapter 6: Forest and Poisons**

**Chapter 7: It's A Whole New Gym Leader**

**Chapter 8: Brock's Flashback**

**Chapter 9: Pains of the Past**

**Chapter 10: Petalburg Pursuit – To the Maximum!**

**Chapter 11: Bringing Back the Young Days**

**Chapter 12: A Little Taste of Darkness**

**Chapter 13: Nightmares**

**Chapter 14: A Night in the Meadows**

**Chapter 15: The Amazing Transformation**

**Chapter 16: Tidal Terror**

**Chapter 17: Lost From the Tree**

**Chapter 18: Love Fever – Stricken!**

**Chapter 19: Three-Way Hostility**

**Chapter 20: Detection of Infection – A Virus Like No Other!**

**Chapter 21: A Secret of Two Trainers Unveiled**

**Chapter 22: Contest Preparations**

**Chapter 23: Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 24: More Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 25: Still More Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 26: A Girl's Sweetest Dreams**

**Chapter 27: The Voyage A Maple Has to Follow**

**Chapter 28: A Terrible Sight to Behold**

**Chapter 29: Not All Waterflowers Are Always Blue**

**Chapter 30: Return of Team Rocket – With A Twist!**

**Chapter 31: Francine**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Chapter 31 has been revised for some errors and additions to the next chapter.

I modeled the name Francine after my female counterpart. My male name is Franko, while my female name is Francine. Don't think that I'm gay or something, because I'm not. I just figured that the possibility that I would be a girl was amusing so I created a female counterpart of myself. The personality of my female counterpart comes from one of my very special friends back in grade school. She's headstrong but she doesn't realize that she still needs to learn. I plan to submit the art of new characters when I have the time.

**The author does not own Pokémon Diamond and Pearl or Pokémon Platinum or any of its franchises. The author owns Winner Takes Ash.**

**PowerZone**


	34. Ch32: The Homecoming

**CHAPTER 32: THE HOMECOMING**

The unlikely place for a probably unlikely reunion.

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 26) "I found peace within myself," she continued while trying to manage a smile. "I tried to stay happy as I could – to be in the company of my friends. Mom and dad would always tell me to seek the aid of my friends – my friends who cared for each other." It was touching to hear her say it – it was almost like I could cry any moment.

"It's all right to stay happy," I told May. "But you cannot always use it as an excuse to forget your father. Besides, you might just know that your father will always be watching in your every step."

(Chapter 1) "Ash," Dawn said, concerned, "what's up?"

"It's nothing," I just quickly brushed a tear from my cheek.

Dawn was too sincere. "I have a feeling it's not Pikachu that's bothering you. We can talk about it in my cabin. Come with me."

Dawn held my hand and took me to her cabin. Her bag was in the bed along with one Pokéball. I tried to find the opportunity to tell her the truth, yet I was lost in thought. "Should I tell you?"

She kept her face as serious as possible. "Tell me what?"

Now what?

"Well, it's about Misty…"

(Chapter 31) "No way," I snapped, "you've got already powerful Pokémon with you... so why do I have to train you? I don't see any benefit from doing so." And with that, I quickly led her to the front door and shoved her out. "Well, nice meeting you Francine, it was a pleasure." I didn't watch if she would walk away, but I turned away from her.

"You don't see any benefit from doing so, huh?" she said. I stopped on my tracks. I listened closely. "Train me... and I'll give you a benefit you won't refuse..."

I didn't turn around from where I stood. "What's the benefit."

Francine didn't seem to come closer. "The whereabouts... and the identity... of your father."

* * *

**STORY PROPER:**

**This is the longest chapter in Winner Takes Ash!**

**PART 1 – HAPPY BIRTHDAY**

The week before the Indigo League, we started traveling to the Indigo Plateau. Mom, Wobbie, Mimey, Francine, and I head out on foot to the league destination. It took us about eight hours to get there (Mimey even had to use Psychic to carry mom when she was wiped). The place seemed bigger when I came here for my first league. More buildings were in the place, and the Indigo Stadium rose twice higher than what I could remember. We struggled through the excited crowds to find a place to stay.

"Mom, Ash," came a familiar voice somewhere in the corner of my ear. I turned to where it called. KC was waving her hand and calling us. "Over here!"

"Mom," I told her, "KC's over there!" I grabbed mom and led her to KC.

The three of us embraced each other. "Honey, I'm so glad you came," mom said tearfully and she couldn't seem to let go of KC.

"You have some explaining to do," I told her.

"Yeah? Like what?" KC asked wonderingly.

I thought about that for a while and said, "Like how you were able to get the final badge."

That was when KC spotted Francine. "Hey Ash," KC leaned closer, "that girl's with you right?" Then she whispered, "She must be your type."

My head flared up, "It's not funny," I hissed. "She's not who you think she is..."

Mom broke the two of us apart before it became an argument. Francine stepped forward to meet KC. "I'm well aware that you must be Ash's sister... KC, isn't it?"

KC nodded, but she still had a hint of doubt on her face. "Yes, I am... but how do you know me?"

"I'm... uh," Francine started, but it seemed that I was glaring at her, "an acquaintance of your brother." She shook her head and slapped herself. "No... no... the truth is... I'm, uh, Ash's student... my name is Francine."

KC looked at me and grinned, "Cool... my brother, a teacher?" Then I overheard KC whisper to Francine, "He may be stubborn, but when the situation gets tough, he pulls through."

My head flared ten degrees higher than the first one. "Who are you calling stubborn?"

"Um, why don't we find a place to stay before we get drowned out in the crowd?" mom cut in.

"Oh," KC turned to mom, "I already made a reservation at a nice hotel just a few blocks from here. I kinda figured that you would come... but I didn't expect this girl here to tag along too..."

"Call her Francine," I told KC, "and I guess we still have a good fortune to make another reservation." I put a hand on my pocket and scratched my leg underneath it. "Anyway, I'll decide to train Francine today. She still has a lot of things to learn." I turned to mom and said, "Hey mom, give us a call when you guys arrive okay? We'll be out in the fields doing some training..."

"Okay, Ash," mom responded. "I'll call you when the sun goes down!"

And with that, Pikachu, Francine, and I dashed out of the crowd and tried to find a good spot to train. Because of the improvement of the place, I couldn't find my way through. However, I did remember about the training field a little to the west of the Indigo Stadium.

"Is it your first time here?" I asked Francine as I led her through by the hand and through the crowd. "It's practically crowded the week before the League, you know."

"It's my first time," Francine called. "I've never been to Indigo Plateau, though I've been to a few cities here in the region."

I nodded. "Well, you'll get used to this place soon enough."

We spotted the little field to the west of the Indigo Stadium. There were a few people in the place and they were pitting their Pokémon on each other. It seemed that they were training for the League. Francine, Pikachu, and I arrived at the place. The trainers around really seemed determined. Well, even if we were not competing, we should show a little bit of really battling ourselves.

"Francine," I muttered to her, "maybe we should get to the next part of the lesson."

"And what should that be?" she asked me.

"What to do when your Pokémon has a status problem..."

The next lesson was a bit difficult, I admitted. And it was the hardest lesson I had to learn by myself.

"I'll use my Pikachu to paralyze your Blastoise," I told her.

Blastoise and Pikachu faced each other in the battlefield.

"Sometimes, you've got to avoid the incoming attack if you don't want your Pokémon to occur a status problem," I told her. "But what if you're cornered and your Pokémon ends up with a status problem... like poison, paralysis, or burn?"

Francine thought about that... "Well, I'd go all the way to the end with sheer power."

I nodded slowly. "W-Well, that's fine... but it can put you at a disadvantage." I called out, "Pikachu, use your Thunder Wave!" Pikachu launched a small jolt of electricity. It surrounded around Blastoise for a moment until the jolts reached Blastoise. It did no damage to Blastoise, but it paralyzed it. "Paralysis slows the speed of your Pokémon, and it can even be incapable of attacking." I watched as Blastoise tried to endure the paralysis. "Francine, try to have Blastoise launch an attack."

"O-Okay... Blastoise, use your Hydro Pump!"

Blastoise charged some water from its two pumps and tried to exert a blast of water. However, it couldn't because the electricity gave way.

"That's the first side effect of paralysis," I told her. "Well, your Pokémon would need to have sheer determination to bring out all you've got – in that condition." I approached Francine and said, "But there's an easier way to counteract it... yet, it will be difficult to learn."

"Oh, you mean Refresh?" she suggested.

It left me wondering for a while. "Refresh is a good back-up."

Francine could be clumsy, I had to give her that... "Blastoise, use Refresh!" And obviously, Blastoise did nothing as it sat down on the ground. I sighed.

"There are some Pokémon that can learn the move refresh... and Blastoise isn't one of them," I told her. "As I said... there is an easier way to make up with your status problem... and that is..." I snapped my finger, "...with a move." I watched as Blastoise continued to suffer from some paralysis effects as I explained. "This move's power is doubled when the Pokémon suffers from paralysis, burn, or poison. It's called Facade."

"Facade," came Francine, "I heard of that move..."

I nodded. "Very well – though I can't guarantee that Blastoise can learn it immediately, almost every Pokémon can learn this move – because Facade belongs to the normal-type move." I patted Blastoise's shell as it struggled to get up. However, the electricity could only make Blastoise stand halfway. "To make good use of this move, your Blastoise must learn how to struggle with itself while protruding some sort of energy. This energy is converted into a countering power known as Facade."

"How does it work?"

"When the Pokémon extorts a numerous amount of inner energy, it releases it physically onto the target," I explained to her. "This inner energy is directed from the status problem the Pokémon is induced with..." I fell into deep thought for a while. There has to be some good explanation why the process does so. "Well, I don't really know why this is so... but I guess it's some sort of determination." I turned to Blastoise and continued, "Learning Facade will need a good iron will and a strong passion to go through." I turned back to Francine and said to her warningly, "There is a catch in this move, though. Facade does not wear off the status problem. If your Pokémon is poisoned or burned, it will still lose energy until it cannot battle longer."

Francine nodded as she paid attention to what I said. "So the rest will just have to be up to me?"

"I guess that's about it..." I turned around and started to walk away. "I have never learned Facade to any of my Pokémon, so you'll be on your own." I heard Francine reply, "Okay," before Pikachu and I walked away. "Oh, and here..." I took out a potion from my bag and tossed it to Francine. "My last Full Restore – you should use it to cure your Blastoise." And with that, Pikachu and I walked up the stairs away from the field to the direction of the Indigo Stadium.

Under the impression that Francine would be training her Blastoise to use Facade, I decided with Pikachu that we should keep a close eye on her. When we watched her from a good distance, she had her Tyranitar and her Blastoise pit against each other in an unmanned battle. Tyranitar dealt a good Thunderbolt attack to severely paralyze Blastoise. Francine let Blastoise loose out some energy to strike back. The first try was good – Blastoise was able to produce some sort of energy around itself, but it couldn't do the physical attack. In the second try, things started to improve. The third try became better and better. But when it came to the seventh try, Blastoise let loose a Hydro Pump attack instead of producing some energy for Facade. Pikachu and I sweated, while I muttered, "Well, let's give her a little time..."

* * *

"Is the slush a little too cold?" I asked Pikachu, who seemed to be slowly slurping the strawberry shake. We had a little snack somewhere in a café close to the Indigo Stadium. I had checked the field where Francine was training and became pleased with the progress. Her Blastoise and Tyranitar seemed to be getting the hang of the move. Maybe I should treat her when she's done. Pikachu was having a little trouble getting the cherry through the straw.

"Silly," I said endearingly as Pikachu peered through the straw and started blowing through it in hopes for the cherry to pop out.

I ordered a strawberry shake to be placed in a plastic cup and paid for it. "Come on, Pikachu," I told it. Pikachu felt a bit disappointed for not recovering the cherry from the straw. The two of us left the café and went back to the place where Francine was training.

The early afternoon provided itself with a good environment – though the sun and the cloud-scattered sky proved a little too much. Francine was sweating to the bone, and her Blastoise started to deteriorate in its performance. She got tired afterwards as she returned her Blastoise to its Pokéball and called it off for a day. Pikachu and I approached Francine afterward.

"Cool yourself down," I told her, and Francine spotted me. I gave her the strawberry shake and straw.

"Th-Thanks," she said. She quickly poked the straw in the middle of the plastic cup's lid and started to slurp. "S-Strawberry – just the flavor matching my hair!" Pikachu seemed to be enjoying the way she was drinking.

Francine and I settled to one of the benches just beside the Indigo Stadium. The shadow of the gigantic dome loomed over us as we stayed there. I sent out Swellow for Pikachu to ride on. The two of them soared to the air and flew over the dome.

"I – I think I'm getting the hang of it," she told me.

I smiled and looked at her. "Good."

"There's something that bothered me, though."

"What is it?"

Francine put a palm on the bench and said to me, "Ash, why do you know so much? Your Pokémon, as you say, don't learn the move, yet you know so much about the move." She looked at me and said through a straightforward face. "It's like... you're a genius."

I admit – I was a bit flattered. "W-Well, I guess it's through the experience... learn something new."

Francine nodded. "But learning every detail isn't easy... especially for learning Facade in every detail." I really had to wonder how I explained Facade in every detail. Maybe it was the Frontier Battle memory that came back to me. She slurped again on her strawberry shake and suddenly slurped extremely hard. "This... cherry... is... hard..."

I laughed. "Just like Pikachu... here..." I went over and slowly opened the lid of the plastic cup. The cherry was still resting in the entrance of the straw. I slowly picked it up, taking care not to get my hand or finger on the shake. I was about to throw it away, when Francine stopped me.

"I want cherry!"

"_Oh well..._" I cut the little branch and threw it away, leaving only the cherry. "Open up," I said to her. Francine opened her mouth and I threw the cherry inside. She snapped it shut and licked her lips. "You eat cherries like they're bananas."

Francine giggled. "You just don't know the way of a girl's gastronomic pattern." She continued to slurp on her strawberry shake. "Hey, where did you buy this shake anyway? I really want more..."

I sighed. "_Maybe I need to research a girl's gastronomic pattern,_" I thought bitterly. "I bought it in a café just down this road. It has the best shakes in the town. I never been in that place before... but they sure know how to make world-class ones." I watched Swellow soar over a few houses as Pikachu seemed to be enjoying itself. But as I watched the trail, I had to wonder when Francine would give me the information about my father. I became hopeful for a while, but I started becoming suspicious when Francine held back the information. Maybe she was just pulling my leg after all... I did not dare ask her when I could get the information, because it would just be of bad taste. So I guess I had to let the tide flow for a little more time.

My thoughts wisped when I was alerted by an incoming call from the Pokégear. I checked it and found KC's number flashing on the screen. Maybe they were going to tell us the hotel they were staying in. I pressed the answer button. "Hello?"

"Ash," came KC's voice, "you should come to Tidal Hotel. We're in the fourth floor, room 407. Mom, Mimey, and Wobbie like it here!"

"Great!" I told her. "We'll be there in a while!"

"Oh, and about that girl," she said, keeping her voice low so that Francine might now possibly hear. I stood up and went to a nearby corner, Francine's wary eyes shooting at the direction. "Well, I could only pay for three days... so, I don't know where she'll be going next. Anyway, you can figure it out, right?"

My heart sank and my stomach did Harden. "Y-Yeah," I told her, my voice rasping.

"Anyway, we'll be seeing you!" came KC's exuberant voice as she ended the transmission.

I pocketed the Pokégear and went back to the bench, where Francine was slurping the last of the strawberry shake. "So, who called?"

"My sister, KC," I answered. "They're in Tidal Hotel... and..." I was about to say to her about the three-day stay for her, but my mouth caught and my tongue did the X-Scissor. "...well, we should be heading there, now." I exhaled a good amount of air behind Francine. She stood up and deposited the empty plastic cup in a nearby trash bin. I called out to Swellow and Pikachu and they descended. It gave me another idea.

"Hey," I told Francine, "you wanna fly again?"

She glared. I guess it meant a no. I returned Swellow to its Pokéball while Pikachu leaped on my shoulder.

"Aww," Francine said, "I always wanted a Pokémon to be on my shoulder." When she said that, I could practically amuse myself dreaming about her Rhyperior standing on top of her head. I forced myself not to laugh, but I let Pikachu hop on top of Francine. She found it uncomfortable for a while the way Pikachu trotted happily and messing up her red arched hair. But as we walked through the town, Francine started getting used to it.

"If I remember correctly," I muttered, "Tidal Hotel must be... that way."

* * *

When Francine, Pikachu, and I arrived at the hotel and the destination KC mentioned over the Pokégear, we found mom fast asleep on one of the two beds. KC was nowhere to be seen. I guess she was having a snack or probably training... I settled my bag on the table while Pikachu settled to look out the window. The room was a little dark where the light through the window did not touch. There was also a television in the corner of the room, but it didn't seem to have been turned on. Francine sat down on the sofa and peered through the window. As for me, I lay down on the vacant bed and took off my sneakers and socks and my cap.

"Hey, where's KC?" Francine asked.

"How am I supposed to know," I said to her. "She didn't tell me about going out."

I had thoughts about calling KC through the Pokégear, but I pushed out the decision. I was feeling lazy. My eyes spotted the curtains dangling from a bar that seem to be hanging above the sides of the bed.

Before the sky turned into nighttime, we were awed by the mixed rainbow haze the sky protruded – such an incredible wonder. Maybe there would be good weather tonight. I watched Pikachu and Francine enjoying themselves. Before, I felt lazy. Now, I felt bored and sleepy. I sighed.

* * *

I didn't realize that I slept, so when I woke up, I realized that the room was silent, except for the low howling of the aircon in the ceiling. I checked the Pokétch and gasped – it was already eleven-thirty in the evening... I overslept! Pikachu was already fast asleep on the couch by the window. KC and mom were in the other bed; mom was huddled under the blanket while KC seemed as if she just came in and slept immediately. Francine, however, was missing. I got down from the bed and put on my sneakers and another pair of socks from my bag and looked for Francine. The comfort room lights didn't seem to be on, and the door was unlocked. Nobody was inside the comfort room. "_Where could she be?_" I tried to contact her through the Pokégear, but she could not pick up. Maybe her batteries were dead.

I sneaked out of the room quietly to avoid waking them up. There was a person approaching to the opposite direction from the elevator, but the person just went by without giving any sort of signal or contact whatsoever. I took the elevator down to the ground floor.

When I arrived at the ground floor, I started searching. The hotel seemed quiet, but it was still open. Two minutes into the search, I found Francine sitting on a bench in front of a fountain of a Magikarp and Gyarados. I watched her pull some petals out from a flower she picked up beside her. She seemed to be frowning.

"May I join you?" I said to her.

Francine jolted and she quickly threw away the flower she was holding. She looked up to me. "No problem," she said to me. Her voice didn't seem to be tired at all. I sat down beside Francine and stared at the water spurting out from the Gyarados statue – it reminded me of the moat in the Cerulean gym entrance.

"Can't sleep?"

Francine shook her head.

"What's troubling you?"

Francine quickly raised her shoulders and put them down.

"Odd," I muttered. I turned to the flower patch beside Francine's side of the bench. "Those flowers look nice," I told her.

She smiled, "They just look like Sunflora..." She bent down to pick a flower. Francine pulled out one of them and started to twiddle with the petals. I looked carefully at the flower she was holding. Though I couldn't identify what the flower was, Francine seemed to be practically mentally intense as she pulled out the petals of the flower one-by-one. She pulled out nine petals in all and threw the stem to the ground. I watched her smile and blush.

"You know what, there's something that bothers me..." I said to her. "It's about your family."

"Huh? What about my family?"

"I mean... don't you go home to see your family often?" I asked her. "I mean... you seem to be unworried about your family..."

Francine shook her head and I stopped mid-sentence.

"Francine?"

I could've sworn I saw a tear fall out of her right eye.

"Are you okay?"

She brushed the tear away. "I'm fine, Ash."

"So about your family..."

Francine shook her head again.

"Y-You don't want to talk about it?" I asked her.

It seemed that she was going through something in her mind. Though I couldn't read it, Francine's expression read traces of perplexity, worry, fear, and grief. I wanted to help her, but I had no right to force out an explanation from her.

"Well, you can tell me or not – as a friend or as a student," I whispered.

I stayed silent for a moment and turned my gaze back on the fountain. Beyond my view of the fountain was a crescent moon shining brightly on the sky. The weather was good and pleasant. I really wished to listen what was going on in her family – and get the information containing my father from her. But I didn't realize it until a few seconds later, when _Francine placed her head on my shoulder and snuggled to keep herself comfortable._ At one point, I had to fight the Heat Wave on my cheeks, but when I looked into Francine's eyes, I could practically feel her grief – like she was crying on the inside.

"Ash," Francine squeaked.

"Yeah?"

"... C-Can I stay like this for a while?" she asked.

Though Francine did not look at me for the answer, I smiled and said, "Okay," not because she was doing so, but she just wanted to keep company.

"When did you learn to be so capable with Pokémon?" I asked her.

Francine sighed. "I learned by myself... I did go around the Sinnoh region and collect a few badges."

"You must be a headstrong person," I remarked.

"W-Well, it's just that Larvitar was my very first Pokémon," she explained. "It really loved to battle, and it quickly evolved into Tyranitar. And the rest is history." I heard her sigh. "But I never went home ever since."

"Huh? Why?"

"Should I tell you?" Francine said with a hint of doubt in her question.

"You shouldn't if you don't want to," I told her, I was able to pat her gently on her head for the first time. "But I'll be here to listen... if you have anything going on in your mind."

We fell silent once more. Francine started caressing my hand in a gentle manner. She inched closer to me, but for a certain reason, I just couldn't resist it.

"I'm an only child," she started explaining. "Just a year ago, my parents died. There was an accident in my home – my parents perished in the fire."

"W-Well, did you have any other relatives?"

"My father was an only child, and my mother had a sister, but she died" she answered. "Even all my grandparents passed away... I can't believe I was born unlucky..."

I could feel her pain. "Francine..."

"Tomorrow," she said, "will be the first death anniversary of my parents." She said it with much grief. "B-But that's not the end of it..."

"Why?"

She heaved a sigh and said, "It's also my birthday."

I nodded. "How old will you be tomorrow?"

"I'll be turning eighteen."

I flinched.

"Wh-What's wrong?"

I felt embarrassed, "When I looked at you, I was under the impression that you were about twenty-two or twenty-three. And for a sidenote, I'm eighteen."

Francine giggled. "When I was still sixteen, some people thought that I was already eighteen. Maybe it's just the height."

I chuckled.

"But really," she continued, "I don't think I can celebrate my eighteenth birthday."

I shook my head slowly and gently leaned my arm around her and patted her shoulder. I checked my Pokétech. It read three minutes to twelve. Francine glanced at the time.

"Three more minutes..." she said.

"Yeah, three more minutes." Francine's life seemed to be full of ironies – to witness the most terrible event in the most special day was too much for her. And then, it made me wonder again... about my father. "Francine, I shouldn't be saying this... but... how come you know my father?"

Francine sniffled. "To be honest," she explained, "I'm not so sure if I have the correct hints. I read a few articles in the newspaper about some organization revealing its objectives and plans." My mind suddenly raced around the article Team Rocket had given me a week ago. "I made a certain connection that ultimately led to the reigning Sinnoh League champion, you."

But it still bugged me. "I'm still wondering, why did you make all these connections? I mean, I don't know how you're involved in this..."

"My cousin..." she muttered.

"Sorry?"

"My cousin joined the said organization," Francine explained further. "I received frequent mail from her about her journeys to far lands and discovering new Pokémon and places while keeping her ultimate purpose in mind. I guess she failed after all... and to this day, I don't know where she is..."

"_Journeys to far lands...? Ultimate purpose...? Discovering new Pokémon and places...?_" My heart skipped a beat. I looked into Francine's eyes. Then I looked at her whole head. The way her head was arranged – and the seemingly similar color... it just couldn't be. I shook my head in disbelief. I was completely convinced that Francine had a very deep secret inside her. But I didn't want it to be known until I could wait for the perfect opportunity.

"Th-That's too bad," I told her.

"Sometimes, I'm convinced that she's already dead," Francine muttered.

"I don't think so," I said immediately.

"Huh? Why is that?"

I wished I could Doubleslap myself. "It's what my gut tells me." I checked the Pokétch and read, "Twelve-o-one..." and that reminded me. "Hey Francine, there's something I want to say to you."

Francine did not seem to be lifting her head from my shoulder. "What is it?"

I stood up and Francine sat up. I went to the other side of the bench and picked two flowers. I counted the total petals – eighteen in all. I went back to my seat. To tell the truth, I really didn't know why I was doing this. Maybe I was enjoying myself... for a different reason.

"What's that supposed to be?" Francine asked.

"Count the petals."

Francine counted the petals of the two flowers. "Eighteen... eight... oh!"

"Happy birthday."

"Oh, Ash..."

Suddenly, Francine flung herself forward toward and clasped her arms around me while squealing over and over, "Thank you!" I felt good for cheering her up – I guess it was the way a friend was supposed to do. And if I were a true friend, then I should return the favor. I embraced back. Embracing her was like squeezing a puffy cloud of its water. She was really soft. We released each other after twenty seconds. Francine took the two flowers and started to pull out the petals. It made me wonder why she would pull out the petals.

"Hey, I'm getting sleepy," she said.

I nodded. "Let's go up."

We left the place and went back to the room. We didn't say a word to each other on the way. When we entered the hotel room, it was dark. KC and mom were still in the bed. They didn't seem to have moved out of their position.

"I'll sleep on the couch," I said to KC. "You should be sleeping well on the bed... especially."

"Okay, okay," she whispered.

While Francine settled herself on the bed and pulled the curtain around the bedside, I went to the couch. Pikachu was still sleeping like a log. I lifted Pikachu and placed it in a more comfortable spot on the couch so that I could sleep in it also. Just as I was about to sit down, I heard Francine call me. I went over to the bed where she was.

"Yeah?"

Francine smiled broadly. "Thanks."

Though I didn't get the whole point, I nodded and smiled back. I turned back to go to the couch, but Francine got a hold of my hand and she jerked me around.

What happened next... it all came too fast. I didn't hear it quite so well, but I could... feel what she was doing. My lips were stuck on hers and she wrapped both of her arms around me, like she was doing it for the first time and enjoying herself. For the first seconds, I thought it was a bad dream, but as the seconds passed, I started to feel her warmth. Maybe it was her way of saying thanks, but I shouldn't deny the fact that she was a girl. The warmth grew as I pressured myself to embrace her and return the kiss.

"_I love you, Ash..._"

…

"_Sleep with me, please..._"

"_But KC... and mom..._"

"_I'll just wake you up..._"

"_Okay..._" That point, I was the most insane person in the world. The next moment, I found myself beside her on the bed. She was embracing me intensely as she also had her legs wrapped around mine. Now I was seriously embarrassed. If KC and mom ever found out... I didn't want to think about the consequences.

"_I love you..._"

"_I'll never leave you..._"

"_We'll be together... forever..._"

"_Oh, Ash..._"

I woke up in a cold sweat. I couldn't believe what I had been seeing for the past seconds. I knew I had been dreaming, but it seem so real. The images were quite disturbing, but I couldn't make it out if it was really a dream or not. The warmth still seemed to be lingering on my lips, like it really happened. I was sitting up on the couch. I scanned the place – it seemed pretty normal. My Pokétch showed a few minutes past half-past three. I quietly tiptoed my way to the bed Francine was sleeping. I peered through the curtain. She was sleeping... like an angel. Her angelic face was peaceful and beautiful. That time, Francine was the most beautiful girl I've ever met. I could only smile to myself.

I went through the curtain and bent my head down, then placed a kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight," I whispered, "happy birthday..."

* * *

**PART 2 – ABDUCTION**

Until the League started, I closed my mind to everything around me. When I couldn't focus, all I could do was stay in the hotel room. Francine quickly soon found out about her three-day stay only. I couldn't stray her – so Francine and I decided to camp ourselves outside Indigo Plateau. But when night fell, I would eventually get back to the hotel. The first night Francine slept alone, I didn't want to know if she could make it through – emotionally. I only wished that I could keep her company.

The day before the start of the Pokémon League, KC and I decided to have a three-on-three practice battle in the training field. Mom, Francine, Mimey, and Wobbie gathered on the battlefield perimeter. KC sent out her Squirtle while I brought Pikachu forward. Her Squirtle was capable with looking out for electric attacks, but it could not survive the Thunderbolt – Discharge combo. KC brought out her Mothim. Though KC displayed excellent power of Silver Wind, Pikachu steadily weakened it with its attacks. Fortunately, KC had her Mothim learn U-Turn. Mothim was instantly returned and KC prepared her third Pokémon – a Bellossom. Pikachu's attacks became weaker, and Bellossom was able to finish it off with a Petal Dance. I put Numel on the line. It displayed Flamethrower well, but Bellossom was too agile. After a few turns, Numel fell down to Bellossom's Drain Punch attack. I decided to bring out Staraptor. Being a flying-type, Staraptor's agility and power quickly brought Bellossom down with its Aerial Ace and Brave Bird. KC had no other choice but to bring out her Mothim, which had been returned after the effects of U-Turn. KC went all out with her Mothim – Silver Wind, Psychic, U-Turn, and Air Slash. Yet, Staraptor refused to give in and it brought down Mothim with a sharp Aerial Ace launched from _underneath._

KC's main list consisted of Squirtle, Mothim, Bellossom, Misdreavus, Hitmonlee, and Togekiss. I admit that I was a bit envious for KC to possess a very rare Togekiss. But Francine, mom, and I concluded that the start-up was fine. That afternoon, KC shaped up her Togekiss and Misdreavus. I was appalled by Togekiss's Shadow Ball attack as Misdreavus combined it with Psychic to control the Aura Sphere at its will.

The next day, we woke up to the deafening sounds of fireworks – probably three times noisier than the Cerulean City Aqua-palooza Water Pokémon Contest. My body woke up when KC slapped me everywhere. But at least I was able to witness the new marvel... and hope for the best that KC would make it through.

We took three hours to prepare ourselves (starting from five in the morning) until we were all fresh and chipper. Just before we were about to leave, Francine came into the room and wished KC the best of luck.

Pikachu took the opportunity to rest on top of KC's head and nested on her navy blue bandana. We made our way to the Indigo Stadium and found that it was already jam-packed with people, trainers and spectators alike, eager to witness the rise of another champion in the making.

The news crew were assembled in strategic locations of the Indigo Plateau, so the League would be the talk of the town for some time. The stadium entrance was so crowded that it was too difficult for me and KC to pass through – and that was when something "unfortunate" happened...

"Over there, it's the Sinnoh champ!"

"_Blast it!" _I muttered to myself as a hundred or more heads turned toward me. And in a split-second later, I was swarmed by a crowd who wanted autographs. Though I felt embarrassed at myself for coming here, I explained to the crowd that I was not going to participate, and that I would be supporting my sister.

"Way to talk to the media," KC whispered when things were going to settle down.

"So the Sinnoh champ is here," came a cool voice behind me. I looked around.

It was the creator of the Battle Frontier, Scott.

"Scott!"

"Good day to you, Ash," he spoke through the polished pair of sunglasses and reached out a hand. I shook it. "So nice for you to join us."

I nodded. "Thanks, but... what brings you here?"

Scott took out something from his polo pocket and showed it to me. "Being a League Coordinator and all, this is the happiest thing that has ever been done to me." He put the ID back in his pocket. "The Battle Frontier is stronger than ever. That's why I'm here... the champion will get an opportunity to challenge the Battle Frontier and get a chance to become one of the Frontier Brains!" He leaned closer to me. "Well, the opportunity may stand, but trainers who are worthy may just be a step closer to becoming a top leader!"

That was remarkable... because it reminded me of the time when I declined the offer of becoming a Frontier Brain.

"So what brings the Sinnoh champion to this place?" Scott asked.

"Well," I answered then I looked around for KC or Francine. KC and Pikachu were seated on the bench just near the entrance. "See that girl with my Pikachu?" Scott nodded. "Well, she's my sister... And as a brother, I should cheer her on."

Scott showed a bit of interest. "Well, well... and you'll be a spectator."

I chuckled and rubbed the back of my head. "Uh huh."

Just then, Francine walked up to us.

"Scott, I'd like to introduce you to Francine," I introduced him to her. "Francine, I'd like to introduce you to Scott. He's the creator of the Battle Frontier."

"You need not introduce her to me," Scott said coolly. "I know this lass well..."

My head felt as if someone did Dizzy Punch on me. "Oh no... you don't mean... she..."

Scott nodded. "Yes, this lass has conquered all twenty-five of my Frontier Areas across four regions! She has the eligibility to be more than just a Frontier Brain... but a Frontier Master."

While Francine chuckled, my mouth hung open. I never imagined that Francine would collect seven badges of the Battle Frontier – but twenty-five, I couldn't believe it. Maybe all this time, Francine had been challenging in the Battle Frontier in the span she left her home until the day we met. But it was ironic: why did she demand that I would teach her when she's got more exceptional skills to conquer the Battle Frontier?

"Ladies and gentlemen," came the announcement.

"I better go," Scott said and he went off. "See you two, around!"

As the announcement of the introduction of the League went on, I watched KC pull out her Pokénav. It seemed that the announcement of matches would be listed into their Pokénav. So if ever there was an upcoming match for them, as the announcement said, they would receive a call through the Pokénav. The orientation and introduction went for another forty-five minutes before the start of the main event: the League proper.

I sat down beside KC and Pikachu as Francine followed suit.

"Mom said that she would go for a little stroll in the town," KC said to me. "Mom can't stand too much intensity at a large crowd."

The first matches went under way as we watched the large television screens situated in places throughout the Stadium. A Granbull and a Gligar were facing each other in battle – Granbull went for Crunch, but Gligar swiftly dodged it and countered with Wing Attack.

Some two hours into the start of the League proper, and barely moving out of the seat at all, KC's Pokénav rang. The voice message said, "Kelly Ketchum, please proceed to Arena 5 of the Indigo Stadium. Your match against Lyle Crest will begin in ten minutes." KC pocketed her Pokénav and she started to feel herself with determination.

"Finally time..." I told her. KC nodded.

"Don't let those badges go to waste," Francine said and she grinned. "Show them what you've got!"

We watched KC walk out of the room into the direction of Arena 5.

"Oh boy, I can't wait to see what KC has done over these few weeks of hard training," I said. Today was finally the day when I would see her battle capabilities.

"Let's check out what's happening in the arena," Francine suggested.

We went to the arena and found some good front seats, where the visibility of watching the battle would be great. The arena was very open – a gentle breeze swayed everywhere as the peaceful sky showed itself over the Stadium. Things were going to be friendly. The view from the spectators must be a totally different experience than the view of battling there in the battlefield. I could only awe to myself. The battlefield had a solid bermuda grass landscape. In the two ends of the battlefield, a red platform and a blue platform were stationed. In the side of the battlefield was a green platform, standing on which was the referee holding a red flag and a blue flag. KC and her opponent weren't in the battlefield just yet, so we still had to wait for a few more minutes. I doubted a bit for fear that my heart would do somersaults if KC would pull the victory. But it almost seemed as if KC team was almost perfect. She just needed guts and tactics to win this. Pikachu and I sprung in our seats when the announcement suddenly blared for the commencement of the battle.

"First battle to commence in Arena 5 will be a two-on-two single battle," came the announcement. "The battle between Kelly Ketchum of Cerulean City and Lyle Crest of Chroma Town will now begin." My heart started to race – Pikachu was just as excited. Francine was opting to look at some good action. "We have confirmed that the participants are healthy and ready for battle and will enter the battlefield shortly."

The two doors opposite each other a few distance to the battlefield opened. At the same time, KC and her opponent, a golden-haired tall trainer, stepped to their respective sides. KC was on the red, while her opponent, Lyle, stood on the blue.

"I can't wait to see what they got," came a somewhat jittery Francine. Pikachu was already sitting on the railings so that it could get a good look.

"This will be a two-on-two single battle," spoke the referee through his lapels so that his announcement of rules could be heard throughout the arena. "The winner of this match is determined if both of a trainer's Pokémon are declared unable to battle. Each trainer is allowed one substitution only in any form possible. The Pokémon or trainer, which violates the accepted rules and standards set by the Pokémon Trainer Battles Association in Battle Rules and Regulations, will be declared disqualified. The disqualified Pokémon will count as a loss for the offense." He looked at the two sides, who were getting ready with their first Pokémon. "If both sides are ready, then..." he waved the two flags and waved them down hard, "... begin!"

KC sent out her Mothim to battle against an opponent's shiny Vigoroth. The shiny Vigoroth seemed to excite the crowd, but KC did not want to be intimidated. When the horn blew to signal the battle start, KC and her opponent readied with the first move. She had her Mothim start with Silver Wind, but the shiny Vigoroth _tore_ the Silver Wind with its Slash attack aimed for Mothim. However, Mothim was fortunate and it avoided the attack at the last second.

"Wow," I muttered, "that Slash was incredible – to tear through something gaseous like it was solid."

About three minutes had passed into the match when Mothim decided to use its U-Turn attack to substitute. KC had already seen the display of Vigoroth's Shadow Claw, so she wouldn't call out her Misdreavus. Instead... she sent out her Bellossom! It was not the Pokémon I was expecting, but I still remembered the Drain Punch.

Vigoroth weakened Bellossom slowly with its display of Slash, Shadow Claw, and Flase Swipe. But Bellossom feigned weakness cleverly, that when Vigoroth used its Slash in "an attempt to finish it off," Bellossom surprised everyone by countering Vigoroth with a Drain Punch attack. Vigoroth was knocked into the air and it landed heavily on the ground. The damage done to it was the energy Bellossom restored. I could tell that Lyle didn't see this one coming as he returned his Vigoroth back to its Pokéball. He pulled out his second one and the Pokéball opened in the battlefield and revealing a Gardevoir.

Bellossom's Drain Punch did not do well against Gardevoir, which kept on teleporting itself in the battlefield. However, Bellossom was able to see through the pattern and it finished up with a few attempts of Petal Dance, Sludge Bomb, and ending it with a Leaf Storm.

Francine, Pikachu, and I were just three of the many spectators who cheered. I had to definitely admit that KC was incredible.

"You were absolutely brilliant," I told her when we saw each other back in the lobby. We gave each other a high-five.

"Thanks a lot," KC said. "Now I've got to wait for the next match."

It seemed that KC would not go wrong. Her roster, as I thought earlier, almost seemed too perfect – as if the moves could counter-act and make up for their weaknesses. KC's Togekiss pulled off marvelous against an Ampharos with a powerful combined Aura Sphere and Air Slash attack. Though a Skuntank surprised KC's Bellossom with its Flamethrower, KC pulled it off quickly with its Drain Punch and Petal Dance. Francine and I observed KC's matches slowly. KC's offensive manner was almost similar to Pokémon contests. She had attacks combine it with other attacks and bring it back to their opponent. What surprised Francine, Pikachu, and I was the match for her to qualify into the top thirty-two. When KC thought that it was all over when her opponent's Kadabra used Psycho Cut, she had another idea. Hitmonlee directed a Mega Kick not on Kadabra, but on the Psycho Cut – but it was no ordinary Mega Kick – Hitmonlee practically kicked the cut by doing a backflip and timing the attack correctly. Kadabra's attack backfired, and KC finished it off with a Blaze Kick.

* * *

At the end of the day, I decided to leave Pikachu with KC and Francine as the two new friends went off back to the hotel. I told them that I would do some training with some of my Pokémon. When Francine, Pikachu, and KC were out of sight, I headed to the training field west of the Stadium. Only a few people were there – most of them romantics, but there were also some who seemed to have a quality time with their Pokémon. At that point, my heart started to clutch the side of the cliff... as the sight of the happiness brought back some memories – and confusion rose within me.

_"Ash," Francine squeaked._

_"Yeah?"_

_"... C-Can I stay like this for a while?" she asked._

_Though Francine did not look at me for the answer, I smiled and said, "Okay," not because she was doing so, but she just wanted to keep company._

There were times when I felt like admitting to Francine that I liked her... but the obvious truth was that she must be feeling the same way as well. I sat down on the ground at the edge of the hill descending to the training field.

_"Yeah?"_

_Francine smiled broadly. "Thanks."_

_Though I didn't get the whole point, I nodded and smiled back. I turned back to go to the couch, but Francine got a hold of my hand and she jerked me around._

_What happened next... it all came too fast. I didn't hear it quite so well, but I could... feel what she was doing. My lips were stuck on hers and she wrapped both of her arms around me, like she was doing it for the first time and enjoying herself. For the first seconds, I thought it was a bad dream, but as the seconds passed, I started to feel her warmth. Maybe it was her way of saying thanks, but I shouldn't deny the fact that she was a girl. The warmth grew as I pressured myself to embrace her and return the kiss._

My mind kept on racing as I thought about with the whole situation.

"_We're just friends... just friends... she just wanted to help me out regarding my father..._" These were my initial thoughts.

Just then, a little chibi clone appeared beside me and whispered into my ear, "_Come on, Ash... she kissed you! She appreciates you! You feel the same way for her, dont'cha?_"

"_There's no reason for me to be involved in this thing,_" I thought for myself! "_Francine is just a friend who has feelings for me..._" I sighed... "_But I don't know if I really have feelings for her..._"

The chibi clone went to my other ear and whispered, "_Think about it... why did she kiss you? Can you think of an answer?_"

"_Well, she was just happy that I greeted her a happy birthday... but it wasn't her best move to do such a thing to me..._"

"_She could have said thanks... and not kiss you for a second present!_"

The imaginary clone seemed to be right, Francine either over-acted or she was... plainly in love.

"_I have a right to know why she did that..._"

The imaginary chibi clone disappeared in a puff of imaginary smoke. I looked up. "_Next time I see her... I'm going to ask her why she did that..._"

I headed back to the hotel to retire for the day and meet up with the others. It took me a good twenty minutes to get through the busy streets and arrive in Tidal Hotel. Francine and KC were inside ("Mom went down to get us dinner," KC explained when I looked around for mom.). KC greeted me with a cheerful good evening, while Francine attempted to embrace me. I shoved her off and said, "I'm tired... don't disturb." Without noticing that Pikachu and Squirtle were making too much noise, I took off my sneakers and socks and lay down on the sofa. My hat rested on my head and I didn't bother to remove it.

"What's wrong with him?" I heard Francine whisper to KC.

"I don't know," I heard KC whisper back. "Isn't he supposed to be... er, um..."

"Hey, it's not who you think we are," Francine hissed.

My insides started to boil. I looked at the both of them and said to Francine with my voice raised, "Then why did you have to do that last night, huh? It's not that you mean anything..." And with that, I shut my eyes and turned the opposite way. "_I lost my temper again..._"

It was about half-past eleven when I woke up from the nap. Mom and KC were fast asleep again. The television was still on; mom must've dozed off while watching her soap operas. I went out of the bed and limped toward the side of the bed where mom and KC were sleeping, then I took the remote and control and turned off the television. When I peered over the both of them (they didn't close their curtain), I tried to look at Francine's bed. She was not there.

Francine disappeared again... I was starting to feel suspicious of her doings. I went back to the place where we "dated" the last time, but she wasn't there. I had to think of possible places she could be, but I had no avail.

That was when something got hold of my mouth and I instantly passed out. The handkerchief must have been covered with chloroform. I could not recognize my assailant.

* * *

"Ash Ketchum, the Sinnoh Conference Champion..."

My head started to stir and my eyes opened to the dark light overhead. I remembered that someone rendered me unconscious. "_Is this a dream?_" I looked around me – but I couldn't see anything. I was in the middle of a room – somewhere. And worst of all – I was tied and ensnared to a metal chair. I tried to stand up, but the metal chair's weight held me down and the rope that tied around me just tightened if I tried to stand up. I was trapped... abducted. And only when I tried to yell that I realized that I was also muzzled. The first order of things was to find out who assaulted me, why they did, and who spoke in the background? I watched a shadow suddenly appear in front of me – the shadow of a person who seemed to be holding... a knife!

My heart beat rapidly like a Belly Drum, I sweated bullets, and my nerves went out of control. The shadow grew larger until the person came into the light. What I saw... would give me a greater heart attack – Francine! Thankfully, she wasn't holding a knife, but a poker.

"Mphfrhpfh..." I tried to speak through the muzzle, but I couldn't make out a single sensible word.

"Let him talk," she said, her voice cold and deadly.

I could not turn around because of the weight of the metal chair, but I felt the muzzle around me unwrapped.

"What's going on?" I started – glaring at Francine, who was looking at me unemotional. "Francine, what is this all about?"

Just as Francine was about to answer, somebody else said, "That's enough." Francine stepped aside and walked back into the darkness. "You've done well to bring him here... I'll take care of the rest." I realized that it was Francine who rendered me unconscious with the handkerchief.

I watched the shadow of another person appear in the out of the darkness. As the person drew closer, I started to feel uneasy. Would I be facing my father? But why would he do this? "_There just isn't any way he'd do this..._" The shadow grew larger as the person came closer.

"I'm surprised you lived this long," came a sneer in front of me. Then the face, the head, then the whole body stepped into the light. I recognized the person: it was the Team Rocket Leader, Giovanni! Yet, he seemed to have grown much hair that he tied it into a pony-tail. Giovanni was wearing his velvet black executive uniform and well polished black leather shoes. "Welcome back, Ash Ketchum..."

"Why you..." I struggled to break free of the snare, but the ropes and the metal chair's weight held me down. "What do you plan to do with me," I yelled.

Giovanni tittered as he started walking around me. "Have you not realized that your friend here is the younger sister of one of my... ahem, Team Rocket operatives?"

"Team Rocket...?" Then I made the connection. Francine's only living relative – Jessie...

"It seems that you've figured out already," Giovanni continued. "To tell the truth, the young lass would've been made a better operative than those slimeballs. Why, she could've been even promoted to an admin – at her age, no less."

I yelled out to the darkness to let Francine hear me, "Damn you!"

"No time to waste your energy," Giovanni snapped and I stayed quiet. He stopped walking around me and faced me eye-to-eye. "You have nothing to fear with your life," Giovanni said, "as long as you cooperate well."

I wanted to yell back, but my voice drowned inside me. "What do you want?"

Giovanni snapped a finger. Francine gave him a chair for him to sit on. Just before Francine disappeared back into the darkness, we saw each other. She mouthed something like, "I'm sorry..." then she went back to the black. Giovanni fixed the chair and sat in front of me that we would see each other face-to-face. He clasped his hands and crossed his right leg over his left leg. "We have been operating for a number of years now – as a crime syndicate and as an international organization. This year, we plan to publicize the organizational objectives... for a very good reason."

I stayed silent – though I wanted to hear more.

"That look you have... you really want to know something – an even bigger secret worth more than this organization has held," Giovanni said. My eyes dilated... could he...? "But let's cut the small talk later and get to the big part." He drew a short amount of air and exhaled it. "But we shouldn't be in this situation – there's no need for threat... I am only here making a... transaction."

"What do you want?" I hissed... my fury raged everywhere in every nerve and blood of my body.

"I understand that two of my operatives, Jessie and James, have been on your heels for quite a number of years," Giovanni started. "Do you confirm it?"

I looked away and refused to answer.

"Mr. Ketchum..."

"Yes," I answered.

"Yes what?"

"I confirm it," I said.

Giovanni leaned back in the chair and continued, "At the end of the pursuit, they ultimately failed... and were blasted off from the Sinnoh League." He chuckled for a while and continued, "They even said that it was their highest blast-off they received."

"What's the point?"

"The point is..." Giovanni started, "... when they reported to me in their failure, I gave them a leave for them to think about what they would do next... I have never seen those two so noble when they reported about it." He made his seating much more comfortable. "I still don't know what they're up to... but it somehow involves the very one Pokémon you cherish the most... your Pikachu."

"Stay away from Pikachu!" I yelled.

Giovanni held and signaled me to stay quiet. "Do not you worry, Mr. Ketchum. We are not interested in your Pikachu; we are interested in you."

I shook my head in disbelief.

"Why don't you join Team Rocket?" Giovanni said pleasantly. "Two admin spots are waiting: one of them is for your friend, and the other is for you. I guarantee that admins can become worthy successors to the organization. And as an admin, you are in control of those who are lower in rank – no matter the age or experience."

I seriously did not want to join a crime organization. But if I didn't, there would be risks. "What's the guarantee you'll make me join Team Rocket?"

Giovanni pulled out something from his tuxedo pocket and made me look at it. It was a photograph of a tall man with black messy hair just like mine, wearing a black and light green vest over his dark green T-shirt, dark blue jeans, and sneakers. He also wore a brown fedora with a flower attached to the brim. But what caught me most was the Pikachu standing on his shoulder. My father...?

"Do you know this person...?"

I whispered, "Dad..."

"You haven't seen each other for almost eighteen years," Giovanni said. "How does it feel right now? Care to share an opinion?"

"Where is he," I hissed.

Giovanni snapped his fingers once more. The room suddenly became brighter until I was able to make out the surroundings. The place seemed a little majestic – like a CEO's area. A sophisticated maplewood desk stood behind where Giovanni was. An intimidating painting that seemed to depict some sort of darkness and that had a brass edge surrounding it hung on the wall behind the desk. When I looked to the right, I could see buildings outside with their faint shimmering of room lights. The windows were solidified – almost impenetrable. I looked to the other side – only a small wooden door with a Persian carving was there on the wall. Apart from those, nothing else caught my eye. I must've figured that we were in Viridian City – in the base of Team Rocket, in the CEO's office.

"See the door to your left?" Giovanni said and he pointed a finger to it. I turned left to the Persian-carved door. "We've hidden your father in there... for eighteen long years. I can take you there if you want."

"How can I go there when I'm all tied here?"

Giovanni sighed. "You have... Pokémon with you, right?"

I grunted.

"Fine..." Giovanni said. Then he called out to some person behind me, "Untie the young man."

Though I wasn't able to view the one who started to untie me, I felt my body become lighter... to be free from the snare.

"Let's make a deal," Giovanni said as he stood up. "I will lead you to your father. I'll give you the time to talk with him – uninterrupted for two hours. However, when you're done, you will have to pledge your service to Team Rocket... As I said, I guarantee an admin spot for you. What do you, hmm?"

My mind kept on echoing sounds I couldn't recognize. My head started to hurt – so did my heart. If that was the only way I could see my father, and that Giovanni was not pulling my leg, then I guess there was no other choice. Giovanni added with, "I do not lie, Mr. Ketchum. Your father is indeed behind this door. I'm telling you that..." But before Giovanni could continue, the building trembled from an explosive sound just nearby.

"What was that?" Giovanni snapped, talking to two bodyguards standing behind me.

"It came from the other room," said one of the bodyguards. Immediately, Giovanni, the two of them, and I rushed to the Persian-carved door. The door seemed to have a password. Giovanni inputted it, the door became unlocked, and he opened it.

"What the heck...?"

The next room was supposed to be a laboratory. However, some of the equipment by the window were severely damaged. The window where the damaged equipment were was destroyed – and a large hole to the outside was revealed. The four of us went over to the hole.

When I peered down, a great wave of shock and fear greeted me. We were supposedly thirty or forty stories high. It would be instant death is anyone fell down from this height.

"You..."

I turned around and witnessed a fury boiling in the Team Rocket Leader. The two bodyguards backed away and retreated for the door.

"I haven't done anything..."

"I know you didn't," Giovanni snapped. "It was that girl... she made a set-up!"

"It was you who sent her to abduct me!" I roared. Without thinking what I should do next, I went forward and attempted to land a Mega Punch. However, Giovanni was taller, stronger, and mightier – he caught my fist in his own hand and subdued me with the other. He made us go near to the edge of the wall. Every sweat in my body became lost in a pool of fear as my blood pumped with such immense intensity.

"He's escaped," I heard Giovanni spit. "That girl probably helped him." I realized that Francine was helping me all along – she had to abduct me and buy some time to free my father from the prison. "I should have never trusted that brat."

The wind blew into and out of the hole and my cap slipped and blew away into the night. I peered down once more – the incredible height made my vision blurry and I couldn't think straight. If he was going to push me down, I had to think of something. But Giovanni was too physically strong for me to counter-attack, and I was paralyzed to the bone.

"I'm going to search for him personally... if it's the last thing I do!" Giovanni hissed. "And as for you..."

Giovanni quickly let go of his submission... and then...

"I don't think you'll be seeing your father... not yet..."

Everything went slow-motion. He pressed a palm on my chest. I felt myself move backward, then my body arched and my foot slipped off the edge. All I could see down there was darkness... and to darkness I would fall... darkness I would fall down to my death. I had cheated death so many times before – the tidal wave incident and the tornado incident. But this is the incident where I would never wake up from. Like a frame-by-frame picture, I thought of every last memory: happy times, sad times, and times where we all felt passionate and together. All those times with my Pokémon I cherish much, and all those times with my friends I treasure. But it seems that there were promises I could never keep. Promises of seeing people again to continue the journey that we established – a lifelong happiness that could've welcomed me. And I knew that all these would pass eventually, and I would have to move on. The slow-motion instantly came to a close and I found myself falling... falling... falling... falling...

"ASH!"

Immediately, I didn't know whether I landed on the ground or something caught me, because when I looked up, I saw the face... of... someone. She was looking down at me tearfully... maybe she was an angel sent to lead me to heaven. I could feel myself moving up.

"I've done... a great... wrong..." I told her.

"Ash, I'm so sorry..." The angel embraced me tenderly – like a mother would do to a child.

And just as I was about to pass out, someone tapped me on the shoulder. I was snapped back into total consciousness. I could feel the wind swaying over me. I turned around to see who it was. I knew it wasn't Francine, because she was in front of me... so it was... I turned around.

"My son... I'm so proud of you."

My eyes dilated when I saw the person who looked like the person in the photograph Giovanni showed me: except that his chin had been recently shaved.

"Dad...?"

It was him... in the flesh. He smiled.

"I finally get to see my son... all grown up... after eighteen years..."

My tears started to swell.

"Dad..."

Dad and I, finally reunited in the most unlikely situation possible, were reunited after all these years. Just in our very first embrace, I could feel all the pain he had been through – to work for Team Rocket. Giovanni was not my father, all along. He was just a ruthless man who would get his hands on every amount of power possible. I would never forgive him.

"Ash, listen to me... now's not the best time for the reunion," he said.

"How come?"

"Giovanni will be coming after us," dad told us. Francine came closer (were were riding her Salamence, and I never knew she had a Salamence until this time – talk about unexpected) to listen to the plan. "I understand that KC's in the Indigo Plateau and she's participating in the League."

"Ash... I'm sorry..." I heard Francine say. I wheeled around. Francine was doing her best to clutch her little cape. "I drugged your mom and KC with sleeping pills while you were fast asleep... I – I'm a horrible friend... and... huh?"

I embraced Francine. "I forgive you... and I'm sorry for doubting you." I looked at Francine, who smiled at me tenderly. We released each other after a few seconds.

"As I was saying, Giovanni already knows where we are headed," dad told us. "We have to keep on the lookout for any suspicious activity. I know him too well... his life... his dream... his ambition..." Dad looked back and continued bitterly, "He was only a man obsessed with power... and nothing else. He would stop at nothing to gain what is best for him. I never liked him... ever since we met."

"Dad," I said to him worriedly, "are you saying that Giovanni is your... brother?"

Much to my horror, dad nodded. "Giovanni is his cover-up name... because his identity is actually... James Fritz Ketchum."

My heart sank. It was the name I saw when mom showed me the family tree.

"How does it make you my father?" I asked him.

"I'm the younger brother... my name is also James Fritz Ketchum... but I'm also the second, making me James Fritz Ketchum II."

Francine's Salamence grunted, probably because it was carrying too much weight.

"Ash, did you bring any flying Pokémon with you?" Francine asked.

"Yeah," I said to her. Then I picked out one of my Pokéballs and threw it into the night. "Staraptor, I choose you!" The Pokéball opened and Staraptor flew out of it then followed our direction. "Francine," I told her, "ride my Staraptor."

Francine nodded. She made a great leap from Salamence. Staraptor caught her.

"How's my Pikachu?" dad asked.

"Pikachu's fine," I told him. "I already knows a lot of good moves: Thunderbolt, Thunder, Volt Tackle, Iron Tail, Discharge, and even a never-before-seen move I call Volt Barrage." Dad seemed impressed.

"Amazing, I never taught Pikachu how to use Iron Tail and Volt Tackle."

We discussed the plan on what to do in case Team Rocket showed up in the League. I was to let nothing stop the event because of Team Rocket ruckus. However, we still had to recover dad's Pokémon in Professor Oak's laboratory, and that's what we had to do. We quickly encircled Viridian City while trying to remain out of sight, then rushed to Pallet Town and into Professor Oak's laboratory. It was already four-thirty in the morning when we arrived there. Professor Oak was making coffee – he seemed to have woken up early.

Professor Oak answered the doorbell, and he received a great shock when he saw dad.

* * *

**PART 3 – THE FLIGHT AGAINST TIME**

"M-M-Mr. Ketchum, you're back!?!"

Dad nodded. "Nice to see you again, Samuel. But let's not cut to the small talk. I need my Pokémon now."

Professor Oak doubted. "But your Pokémon are all with Professor Thorne."

"Please, Samuel," dad pleaded, "it's an emergency. They'll be finding me soon, and I'm extremely defenseless against them."

"Them?"

"Team Rocket," I told Professor Oak. "This time, the whole organization will bring out all their efforts to track dad down."

"I don't understand what's the whole point but..."

"Just get on with it, please?" I pleaded.

Dad and Professor Oak exchanged looks.

"Fine," Professor Oak said. He let us in and closed the door. "I really don't see how this is going, but I'll do it anyway." He approached the computer and turned it on. It took some four minutes for the computer to get ready, then three minutes to connect it to the Pokéball transporter.

"Your place still seems the same, Samuel," dad remarked, "almost to the day when I got my first Pokémon."

"Right," Professor Oak said indifferently. He tried to keep in touch with Professor Thorne, whoever this was. "I'll see if I can contact her." So Professor Thorne was a woman.

It took a good twenty minutes before Professor Oak was online with Professor Thorne. Professor Thorne was an elderly woman. She had messy stiff black hair and cool gray eyes. She just woke up and seemed to be distraught for Professor Oak to call her.

"Samuel, what's the matter?" she started sleepily.

"Remember Fritz?" Professor Oak said.

Professor Thorne thought about it for a while. "Oh, the trainer who has been gone for eighteen years? Yeah, I remember him well... why?"

I watched Professor Oak nod to dad as dad took over and sat on the chair. Professor Thorne allowed a few seconds to see dad, and when she finished observing him, her jaw dropped. "Nngh... F-F-Fritz!?!"

Dad nodded. "Good to see you ag..."

"Aaaaaaaaahhh! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!!! It's you! In the flesh! In person! Am I imagining things?!?" Professor Thorne, though an elderly woman, squealed like a schoolchild when she saw dad.

"Yes, Professor," dad replied sternly, "it's me... I know that my leave caused people who know me so much worry... But now it's not the time for welcome back greetings. I'm in serious trouble and I need your help."

Professor Thorne straightened herself. "V-Very well, I'll do everything to help you out."

"I'm being tracked by Team Rocket," dad explained cautiously. "For eighteen years, Team Rocket had kept me captive in their HQ in Viridian City. Just today, I was freed... by these two courageous people." Dad made Francine and I come to the computer. "The young man here is my son."

"Nice to meet you, Professor," I told her. "I'm Ash Ketchum."

"Ketchum!?!" Professor Thorne said. "You're the Sinnoh League champion!" She cleared her throat and introduced herself, "Pleased to meet you Mr. Ketchum, I'm Professor Bailey Thorne, Pokémon Professor from the Rossou region."

"And this here," dad mentioned Francine, "is Francine, my son's girlfriend."

My head flared. "D-Dad! She's not my girlfriend!" I shot a cold look at Francine, who was giggling to herself. I wished I just hit my body on the pavement and never woke up again...

"How a pair of kids breached the Rocket HQ, I don't know," dad continued with the discussion, "but I need to have my Pokémon back. I already told you that Team Rocket is tracking me down – I need Pokémon at my defenses – my best team that I have. There's no time."

Professor Thorne nodded. "Very well, I'll be sending your six most capable Pokémon over: confirm if this list is approvable." Professor Thorne inputted something in her computer. The computer then showed a list of six Pokémon that dad owned. My eyes dilated when I saw his list-up. I was extremely amazed. His list-up consisted of Charizard, Gallade, Sceptile, Lucario, Magnezone, and a shiny Milotic. All these Pokémon were incredibly rare.

"Are these acceptable?" came Professor Thorne's voice.

"Perfect," dad replied, "have them sent immediately."

The list disappeared and Professor Thorne was back in view with the computer. "Very well, I'll send the Pokémon right away."

Dad nodded. He stood up from the chair and went to the transporter device. Six Pokéballs were already laid out. The data of each Pokéball became filled with the requested Pokémon. When all those were done, we heard Professor Thorne say, "Transporting complete. All your six Pokémon are good and ready to go."

"Thanks a lot, Professor," dad said and he received the six Pokéballs.

"Take care of yourself now," Professor Thorne said, "and don't let the crooks catch you." And with that, Professor Thorne ended the transmission.

"Ha," I boasted. "With that kind of team, there's no way dad can be caught!"

"Is everything alright?" came Professor Oak. We turned around.

"Everything's complete," Francine said. "We'll be on our way... fast."

"Thanks again, Samuel," dad said to him.

"My pleasure," Professor Oak replied. He arched himself backward and stretched his back.

"Okay, let's go kids," dad told us.

But that reminded me. "Dad, I'll get my four most capable Pokémon. Pikachu is in Indigo Plateau. I don't know if mom and KC are awake already."

Professor Oak overheard us, "Very well, I'll give you the Pokémon you need for your journey."

"First, I'll have Numel and Swellow deposited," I told Professor Oak. "Then I'll get the Pokéballs of Torkoal, Sceptile, Crawdaunt, and Heracross." I gave him Numel's and Swellow's Pokéballs. Professor Oak went to the storage and came back with the Pokéballs with the requested Pokémon. If there would be an intense battle going on soon, I'd better get ready with my cream-of-the-crop Pokémon. Staraptor and Pikachu were already good to go in my list.

"Let's go," I told the both of them. We swiftly started to march out of the laboratory. And with Professor Oak's, "You take care of yourselves!" we went out of the laboratory. Dad already had told Professor Oak to keep his return a secret.

The first thing we saw when we exited the laboratory was the faint glow of the morning sun beyond the hills. The sun was already rising.

"Sun's up," Francine said worriedly, "do you think we can make it to the Indigo Plateau in time?"

Dad nodded confidently. "We'll make it there before the League commences. There's no time to lose!"

"We have to fly, right?" I asked.

"There's no other way," he said. "Bring out your best flying Pokémon."

"Salamence, I choose you!"

"Staraptor, you're on!"

"Burn and rush, Charizard!"

The three flying Pokémon (Staraptor was the smallest) appeared in front of us.

"Listen," dad said to the three Pokémon, "I want you guys to fly us to the Indigo Plateau as quickly as possible. I know the dangers that lie ahead. But if we all want to get there safely, we should all follow my route."

"What's the route?" I asked him.

"We're going to fly to Celadon City via off the coast of the Cinnabar Islands," dad instructed. "From Celadon City, we'll head north to Pewter City then west forth to the Indigo Plateau. The reason why we have to do this is to avoid contact with Viridian City, where the Team Rocket HQ is located. We have to fly low and fast." He embarked on his Charizard. "As long as we can keep ourselves hidden, there should be no problems. If our Pokémon are swift enough, we can evade detection. Are you ready?"

Francine nodded as she climbed onto her Salamence.

I nodded as well as I climbed onto Staraptor.

"Let's fly off!"

With a great sweep off the ground, all three of us were in the air. Dad and his Charizard led the way and we followed suit. The faint glow of the morning sun beyond the horizon became brighter. There was no time to waste. We flew low over the plains as we headed for the hills. Beyond those hills would be the seacoast.

It was like flying to the extreme. I have never flown this fast and furious before. The faster we flew, the chillier the air struck around us, because it was still the early morning. I kept my confidence in myself that we would make it to the Indigo Plateau. But if the sleeping pills didn't wear off from mom and KC, KC would be disqualified from the League when her turn would come up. That was the other thing I was worried about. But other than that, I really loved the way things were turning up. I was prepared for a probably big battle that would come – a battle for me to defend what's remaining of the fragments of my family, a battle that decides my impending course of my long-lost father.

We flew over the hills, then we caught the view of the seacoast. The view of the sunrise was astounding – an aesthetic mix of hues of blue, purple, red, and orange. But the awestruck view only limited itself for me to see it in a few fleeting seconds before dad made a sharp left. Staraptor and Salamence followed suit. We started descending so that we could fly low. At one point, I watched Francine's Salamence do some sort of rotation. Then Salamence dove underwater, not completely to soak Francine with it.

"Wow," I yelled, "you're surfing!"

Francine kept her balance as Salamence continued to soar underwater for a few seconds. When Salamence started soaring again, that's when Francine sat down again and picked up the speed to catch up to us.

Dad's Charizard was fast – whenever it did sharp turns, it always steered perfectly at the precise moment and the precise time. We had to keep up as we soared over the shallow bay. Our first course was due the outskirts of Cerulean City.

"There's a river up ahead," I called out to dad.

"We'll go upstream," he replied back.

Dad and his Charizard led the way through the river as we started flying over the water. The sunrise provided a limited visibility through the thick woods, but we were still able to see the whole course. As we swiveled through the river like speedboats, the chill smell of the jungle drowned out by the early morning breeze greeted us unpleasantly. My mind had gone numb for a second, but I was able to evade a tree-stump by jumping over it. Staraptor caught me quickly.

At the end of the two-mile long river, we reached a series of waterfalls. The three of us and our Pokémon started soaring up the waterfalls. Salamence and Francine acrobatically maneuvered somersaults and spins up the waterfalls. Staraptor and I made some fleeting views to the two who seemed to be enjoying themselves. Dad and his Charizard were the first to reach the top and he made a complete stop there. Staraptor and Salamence followed suit. All three Pokémon landed on a flat empty spot on the top of the waterfall.

"We'll take a ten-minute mandatory rest up here," dad said to us.

He spotted some berries a few feet from us. These were the sweet Pecha berries. Dad picked a branch full of them and handed three each to each person and Pokémon. The Pecha berries were fully grown and edible.

"Breakfast time," dad told us.

Though it was not the right kind of breakfast, and the first breakfast to share with my father, I did not argue. We needed the energy to prepare for a possible battle ahead. And I hoped that Team Rocket was not tracking us. Salamence, Staraptor, and Charizard all felt refreshed and chipper after being fed with the berries. They were provided another few good hours to maintain their energy for us to fly on.

"We're roughly some five miles off Celadon City," dad estimated as he peered up the river. "We'll be in Indigo Plateau at around seven in the morning." He stood up and walked toward his Charizard. "We have to leave soon."

When the three of us were ready to hit the air once more, we embarked our Pokémon and we set off to the direction of the woods to Pewter City. The sun was already starting to reveal itself. I glanced at the Pokétch: it was already 6:06 AM. We could still make it.

Dad and his Charizard made a slight left to edge around the woods. Francine and her Salamence were some few feet above us. My Staraptor and I were the closest to the ground.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, as the sun showed itself, we arrived at the Pewter City outskirts. The first thing I thought of the place was Brock, but I knew that he wouldn't see us. It would take another ten minutes before we would arrive in the Indigo Plateau.

"Dad," I called out to him, "we'll land immediately in front of the Tidal Hotel. I'll lead the way when we get there."

"Okay," dad said. "We'll have to fly quick and attract as few people as we can or none at all."

When we got out of the Pewter City outskirts, we started to ascend a sloped hill that would take us to Indigo Plateau. There didn't seem to be any trouble so far.

"Over there!" Francine called out.

The Indigo stadium was in view – just two miles from where we were.

"Full speed!" we commanded our Pokémon.

The three flying Pokémon soared quick to the Indigo Plateau. Just one more mile... we were almost there... we just need to struggle more. As the sun became brighter, so did the Indigo Stadium.

"Lead the way, Ash," came dad.

Dad and his Charizard slowed down for a while so that I could go ahead and find the hotel we were staying in. Indigo Plateau came into full view – a few people were already outside. The town started to wake up. I stopped in mid-air to find the hotel. The most visible structure was the Indigo Stadium. The entrance to the stadium was visible from where we were airborne. I looked left, then right, then left again...

"Over there!" I called out and pointed to the largest building near the west end of the town. Staraptor and I started to descend slowly to the direction of the hotel.

The three of us landed in front of the hotel as we returned our Pokémon. There was no time to lose. We went into the hotel as Francine yelled to the reception, "Ketchum, Room 407!"

"Ash, what room are they staying in?" dad asked me.

"Room 407, fourth floor," I answered.

We took the elevator to the fourth floor and rushed out to find the hotel room. When we arrived in front of the door. When I turned the doorknob, I found it unlocked.

"Mom, KC, Pikachu!" I called out.

When the three of us came into the room, all we found was a total mess. It looked like as if a hurricane hit the place. The tables were overturned, the beddings were messy, and the walls seemed as if they were hit by lightning. It could only mean one thing...

"Team Rocket found out about this place," I said to dad.

Francine investigated the comfort room, while dad and I continued to investigate to search for clues. We were able to find some unusual metallic objects – probably part of Team Rocket mechanisms. Miraculously, if Team Rocket ever barged into the place, they didn't take away KC's bag or my bag. My bag was still on the floor near the overturned table, while KC's bag was at the foot of the couch. The curtains near the edge of both beds were torn – a good evidence that a struggle had taken place in the room.

"Look at this," dad said to me. He was looking at something inside the drawer between the two beds. I went over to where he went. Dad picked up a piece of paper.

"It's a note," I observed.

Dad unfolded the note and he began to read it aloud. "To the Pokémon master; By means of extreme observations and intelligence, we have discovered where your other relatives are staying. It was a slick job that your good female friend drugged them with sleeping pills. We have captured your mother, your sister, and Pikachu and have held them hostage in the Indigo Plateau Central Arena. We do not intend to do any harm to them unless you come and bargain with our negotiations. Present this Pass Card to the bodyguards in entrance of the arena. I shall be waiting no later than half-past seven. Signed, Giovanni."

Dad picked up the Rocket pass card as I snatched the note and read it again. In every word I read, my anger suddenly rose over the meter. I crumpled the note in my hand and tore it to bits. Francine came out of the comfort room.

"They used more sleeping pills," Francine presented her findings of her investigation. "Apart from that, nothing else was touched."

"Giovanni, you will be sorry for this," I hissed through my fury.

"We have to get to the Indigo Stadium right away," dad said to us. "We don't know the risks, but there's no other thing that we can do."

The three of us stormed out of the place and out of the hotel. Without any time to waste, we started rushing for the Indigo Plateau. It was already 7:09 AM when we started moving. The closer we were to the Indigo Plateau, my anticipation swelled up.

"A big battle awaits us," dad told us, "I hope you're prepared."

No matter what, I would do everything to bring Giovanni down for good. All the evil schemes that he plotted throughout the years – he will pay for what he has done. I swore that I would crush what's left of him. An epic battle against all odds – a decision that would leave a deep scar for the rest of my life – all these I will bring with me. "He will pay for everything he has done..." Though Francine felt a bit scared, only anger and rage were deep inside me. I could not control it. The anticipation went berserk as we ran on to the Indigo Plateau as we had to go against all odds.

GET SET FOR THE EPIC BATTLE!!!

* * *

Next chapter on Winner Takes Ash: Team Rocket Epic Battle – Battle of Life and Love! (Part 1 – The Deal)

Indigo Stadium Central Arena was starting to shine as the morning sun started to cast its light on it. When Francine, dad, and I arrived in the place after presenting the entry item to the Team Rocket bodyguards, who posed as security officers, the first thing we saw was that the arena was completely transformed. A gigantic machine stood in the middle of the place. The machine had three large capsules attached to the main system that generated electricity. Mom was in the left, KC was on the right, and Pikachu was in the center. Pikachu's capsule, however, was very different from the two. Mom and KC were unconscious. There must be a purpose...

"Mom! KC!" I tried to call out, but they couldn't seem to hear me.

"Welcome," came an evil voice lurking from somewhere inside the arena. Giovanni was already waiting. "I knew you'd come already. Let's not waste time."

Giovanni arose in the middle of the battlefield. He was accompanied by four bodyguards, two of which were wearing white Rocket uniforms, similar to those of Jessie and James. When I saw him grin maliciously, my hatred started to boil. My fury raged and exploded the longer I looked at him.

**TO BE CONTINUED...

* * *

**

**Existing chapters:**

**Prologue: The Pokémon Masters**

**Chapter 1: Face-Off**

**Chapter 2: Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3: Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4: Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

**Chapter 5: Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience**

**Chapter 6: Forest and Poisons**

**Chapter 7: It's A Whole New Gym Leader**

**Chapter 8: Brock's Flashback**

**Chapter 9: Pains of the Past**

**Chapter 10: Petalburg Pursuit – To the Maximum!**

**Chapter 11: Bringing Back the Young Days**

**Chapter 12: A Little Taste of Darkness**

**Chapter 13: Nightmares**

**Chapter 14: A Night in the Meadows**

**Chapter 15: The Amazing Transformation**

**Chapter 16: Tidal Terror**

**Chapter 17: Lost From the Tree**

**Chapter 18: Love Fever – Stricken!**

**Chapter 19: Three-Way Hostility**

**Chapter 20: Detection of Infection – A Virus Like No Other!**

**Chapter 21: A Secret of Two Trainers Unveiled**

**Chapter 22: Contest Preparations**

**Chapter 23: Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 24: More Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 25: Still More Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 26: A Girl's Sweetest Dreams**

**Chapter 27: The Voyage A Maple Has to Follow**

**Chapter 28: A Terrible Sight to Behold**

**Chapter 29: Not All Waterflowers Are Always Blue**

**Chapter 30: Return of Team Rocket – With A Twist!**

**Chapter 31: Francine**

**Chapter 32: The Homecoming**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Wow... the first part was really confusing!

After a little deliberation, the original Chapter 32 parts were merged into one chapter.

Hmm, I received a suggestion from one my closest friends about building a little build-up for the plot... but I admit that the chapter went a bit overboard. KC, Delia, and Pikachu have been abducted by Giovanni of Team Rocket... and the whole plot is revealed. Will Ash make the ultimate decision that might risk the lives of everyone involved? Read Chapter 33 to find out!

Oh, and the chibi idea came out of nowhere. ^^

**The author does not own Pokémon Diamond and Pearl or Pokémon Platinum or any of its franchises. The author owns Winner Takes Ash.**

**PowerZone**


	35. Ch33: Team Rocket Epic Battle Part 1

**CHAPTER 33: TEAM ROCKET EPIC BATTLE – BATTLE OF LIFE AND LOVE! (PART 1)**

**(THE DEAL)**

Would he make the decision to save all the bloodshed or risk everything to save everyone close to him?

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 32) "I finally get to see my son... all grown up... after eighteen years..."

My tears started to swell.

"Dad..."

Dad and I, finally reunited in the most unlikely situation possible, were reunited after all these years. Just in our very first embrace, I could feel all the pain he had been through – to work for Team Rocket. Giovanni was not my father, all along. He was just a ruthless man who would get his hands on every amount of power possible. I would never forgive him.

"Ash, listen to me... now's not the best time for the reunion," he said.

(Chapter 17) "Ash," Mom spoke and she looked at me seriously, "you have a sister. She's supposed to be the same age as you."

"But why haven't I seen my sister as far as I can remember," I started losing my temper.

"You and your sister are twins," mom said. "The both of you were born on the same day – only you came ahead. A week later, my dad took her to my cousin, Craig. Craig lives in Cerulean City, and I haven't seen him since."

"Wait a minute," Misty seemed to be going into something, "I think I heard that name from before. His son Tom challenged me to a gym battle some few months ago."

(Chapter 31) "Your build is fine for your age," she continued observing as she raised her eyes from the legs to the torso, "you have the hairstyle of a gorilla..." gorilla!!! I wanted to punch her... "And you seem to be... flexible and headstrong."

"His friends say that he can be clumsy sometimes," mom added, "but it often makes him stand out from the rest."

"_Great, just great,_" I thought bitterly and sweated while being mashed to a blob by this over-observant girl, "_way to put the worm in the apple._"

"Um," I spoke, "may I ask what do you want from me?"

The young woman put away her eyeglasses and cleared her throat. "My name is Francine," she introduced herself and she sat on the couch across from me.

* * *

**STORY PROPER:**

We were not gonna let them hurt anyone. We rushed as fast as we could to the Indigo Stadium. A few people, who were early and eager to continue with the competition, were already assembled in front of the stadium. However, there was a ruckus in the entrance – as the gathering crowd were trying to get inside the stadium, but it was heavily barricaded by security guards. There was no time to think of another plan – it was almost seven-thirty in the morning. Dad, Francine, and I pushed our way through the crowd until we got to the barricading guards. At first glance of the guards, something in their uniform didn't seem right.

"Dad," I whispered to him, "show them the pass card."

Dad reached the pass card inside his pocket and showed it only to the guards. The two front guards exchanged looks.

"Boss is expecting you," one of them said hoarsely.

I knew it – Team Rocket. The security badges were worn over their right chest.

The two guards let us inside and we suddenly made our way to the Central Arena of the Indigo Stadium.

As we turned corners and saw more of the Team Rocket bodyguards (dad flashed the pass card when he saw one), we felt close to the risk. What would lie ahead of us, I couldn't even think of it. But all what mattered was that they were safe. Giovanni had said in the note that he wouldn't do any harm to them. To what end would he devise his schemes just to satisfy himself?

"It's over there," I said to Francine and dad when we got to a fork. Two Team Rocket bodyguards posing as officers were standing in front of the door. As we approached the door, the two of them blocked the door.

"Are you the people the boss is looking for?" one of them asked.

Dad nodded and he showed them the Rocket pass card.

"You may pass," the other one said and he opened the door to the Central Arena.

Indigo Stadium Central Arena was starting to shine as the morning sun started to cast its light on it. When Francine, dad, and I arrived in the place after presenting the entry item to the Team Rocket bodyguards, who posed as security officers, the first thing we saw was that the arena was completely transformed. A gigantic machine stood in the middle of the place. The machine had three large capsules attached to the main system that generated electricity. Mom was in the left, KC was on the right, and Pikachu was in the center. Pikachu's capsule, however, was very different from the two. Mom and KC were unconscious. There must be a purpose...

"Mom! KC!" I tried to call out, but they couldn't seem to hear me.

"Welcome," came an evil voice lurking from somewhere inside the arena. Giovanni was already waiting. "I knew you'd come already. Let's not waste time."

Giovanni arose in the middle of the battlefield. He was accompanied by four bodyguards, two of which were wearing white Rocket uniforms, similar to those of Jessie and James. When I saw him grin maliciously, my hatred started to boil. My fury raged and exploded the longer I looked at him.

"Release them at once," dad called.

"What's the matter, Fritz," Giovanni sneered as he stood up from his chair and walked forward to us. "You were always the same... emotional brat – who only thought that Pokémon should be befriended and taken care of. You should've joined me, so that we could establish a place where power mights over everything."

"I'll join you, bastard, when all hell freezes over," dad spat.

Giovanni curled his lips and he walked back to his seat. "Very well... here's a little negotiation – for your son."

Dad looked at me, but I paid no attention to him. All my fury and focus were on Giovanni.

"What do you want?"

Giovanni sat down on his seat and crossed his left leg over his right leg. "This is the special energy-transferral machine – incredibly made with state-of-the-art metal. You three are the first non-Team Rocket people to see this," he said. "I use this to transfer energy to objects when they are placed inside those capsules."

"Cease this madness at once," dad spat. "I demand you!"

"And who told you that? Mommy?"

Dad found himself undefended against Giovanni's mocking.

"Here's the deal," Giovanni continued to speaking. "I guarantee that we won't do any harm to your wife and daughter... and we will let them go – if you surrender yourself and come back to the HQ... where you'll receive an appropriate punishment for escaping without my permission."

I couldn't think what Giovanni or dad were thinking, but it seemed that they were mentally clashing each other.

"And if I don't?" dad said.

Giovanni pressed some sort of button on the arm of his seat. I watched Pikachu struggling and being hoisted into the air inside its capsule. Giovanni was forcing Pikachu to use an electric attack. "This machine is an energy-transferring machine. The moment Pikachu discharges, the electricity will undergo a series of molecular arrangements. The molecular arrangements of the discharged electricity will change the original form of the electricity into a lightning – six million times stronger than what your Pikachu will give off. Watch." Pikachu struggled not to use any Thunderbolt, but the effort was too much to bear, and Pikachu launched a mild Thundershock attack. We watched the whole process of the molecular arrangement in the machine. The outcome was a blue lightning inside the two other capsules – where mom and KC, both still unconscious, were. The blue lightning was just mild and it did not touch them. But I knew the whole plan already. My fury exploded.

"DAMN YOU!"

"So if you don't agree to this decision," Giovanni continued, "there will be harsh consequences."

"This is so not like you, James," dad said.

"Oh, and who was it that made me the gifted person?" Giovanni sneered. "Why not use this gift of mine to do what I love best?"

Francine and I exchanged looks, then I looked at dad. "Dad...?"

"I'm not joining you," dad said.

"But your wife... and your daughter..." Francine pleaded.

"I know him too well," dad muttered to her. "He doesn't get to the good part until he looks at more possibilities."

Giovanni still sat in his seat. I watched him raise his hand then draw his finger close to the button. I couldn't bear what to see if ever he did. But just as Giovanni was about to touch the button, he quickly put his hand back down. "Well, here's another way. We'll have a Pokémon battle to determine who can decide for themselves."

"You're on," dad said to him.

"Oh, and be careful where you're words are stepping on," Giovanni warned, "the puny little James you knew has already gone to greater heights."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Giovanni stood up from his seat. "We'll have a four-on-four battle. It will consist of a three-on-three triple battle then a one-on-one battle. I hope you brought your best team ready. I will give you some time to prepare your team."

"We're prepared anytime," I told Giovanni.

"We're ready to take you on, anytime," Francine said.

Dad nodded.

Giovanni smirked. "Oh, but this will not be an ordinary battle. I decided to raise the stakes a little higher..." When he discovered that we fell silent so we could hear the raised stakes. "This will be a timed match – for only an hour and a half. If you cannot defeat me within that limit, then not only will you lose... but also your Pikachu will give a little taste of what it means to kill."

I will never ever forgive this monster.

"You're on," I roared.

Giovanni's lips curled again and he sat down on his seat. "Fine... in the first triple battle. All of you will step forward. Bring out your Pokémon."

The three of us prepared our best Pokémon.

"I choose you, Tyranitar!" Francine called and she threw her Pokéball into the battlefield. Her Pokéball opened and Tyranitar came into the battlefield. A sandstorm gathered around Tyranitar as it roared into the open air.

"I choose you, Heracross!" I called and threw mine into the battlefield. Heracross came out of the Pokéball and went beside Tyranitar.

"My turn," dad said and he picked out a Pokémon from his roster. He threw the Pokéball into the battlefield. The third Pokémon stood beside Torkoal. Dad was using his Gallade.

I watched Giovanni nod. "Capable Pokémon you have there... I believe it's my turn." He stood up from his seat and took out three Pokéballs from his tuxedo jacket. "These Pokémon are incredibly rare – it almost took me forever to catch them." The three of his Pokéballs opened and three lights scattered to the battlefield. When Giovanni's Pokémon were revealed, I felt a bit intimidated.

"Regirock, Regice, and Registeel," dad cursed under his breath.

"Fighting attacks do well against all of them," I told dad. "But we have to locate their weak points, first."

Giovanni gave a hollow laugh. "Are you not surprised with these legendary Pokémon? I hope your Pokémon can pit well against these titans." Then he pointed a finger forward and called to his Pokémon, "Face them in battle!"

The three Regis went forward and faced our three waiting Pokémon – Regirock faced Tyranitar, Regice faced Torkoal, and Registeel faced Gallade.

"I've had experience facing all those three," I told Francine and dad, "but I never faced them all at the same time."

The large screen displayed the time for one hour and thirty minutes, and when the clock started ticking, the match began.

"Gallade," dad called first, "Brick Break on Registeel!"

"Heracross," I called next, "use your Megahorn on Regice!"

"Tyranitar," Francine called last, "Stone Edge on Regirock!"

Gallade launched forward to land its Brick Break attack; Heracross went for Regice to land its Megahorn. Tyranitar launched a wave of rocks for Regirock.

"All of you," Giovanni commanded, "use Protect!"

Just as the three moves would land simultaneously, the three Regis simultaneously used their Protect to deflect the incoming attacks. Gallade's Brick Break landed off Registeel's Protect barrier. Heracross suffered slight recoil damage from crashing onto Regice's Protect barrier. The pointed stones from Tyranitar's Stone Edge could not get past Regirock's Protect barrier. Giovanni had perfect command on the three legendary Pokémon – how could we land our moves on them?

"All of you," Giovanni commanded, "Lock-on!"

The three Regis positioned themselves and stood their ground. They locked their sights on the Pokémon in front of them. I knew what was coming.

"They're going to use Zap Cannon," I muttered to dad and Francine.

"I got this one," dad said.

"Now use Zap Cannon!" Giovanni commanded.

"Stay close together," dad called to the three Pokémon. Tyranitar, Heracross, and Gallade huddled together. At the same time, each Regi released an electrical ball aimed for their target. Zap Cannon, if it hits, instantly paralyzes the target; however, it seemed dad had something in mind.

"Gallade," he called, "use your Protect!"

Gallade cast a shield around all the three Pokémon. The Zap Cannon attacks burst when they crashed into the shield.

"We're even," I muttered.

"Let's go for the individual offensive," Giovanni said. "Flash Cannon, Stone Edge, and Ice Beam now!"

Registeel shot out a cannon of light straight for Gallade. Regirock shot pointed stones to Tyranitar. Regice shot an Ice Beam for Heracross.

"Francine," dad called, "change places!"

"Ash," Francine called, "change places after us!"

Quickly, the three Pokémon exchanged their places. Tyranitar and Gallade exchanged places, then Heracross and Tyranitar exchanged. The final outcome: Flash Cannon was going for Heracross, Stone Edge went for Gallade, and Ice Beam went for Tyranitar.

"Psycho Cut!" dad called.

"Thunderbolt!" Francine called.

"Megahorn!" I called.

Gallade's Psycho Cut burst through the Stone Edge wave. Tyranitar's Thunderbolt instantly dissipated the incoming Ice Beam. Heracross caught the Flash Cannon in its Megahorn attack. Gallade's Psycho Cut found its mark on Regrock, Tyranitar electrified Regice, and Heracross returned the Flash Cannon to Registeel and the attack exploded on impact. The combination was perfect.

Giovanni nodded and said, "Feinting... a strategy in multi-battles by which Pokémon exchange places... still a cheap move." Then he pointed a finger and called out, "Regirock, use your Lock On!"

Regirock locked all three Pokémon into its sight. Whichever Pokémon it would target, I didn't know. But when it came to the match-ups, I would think that Heracross would be the most endangered.

"Heracross," I called, "Aerial Ace that Regice!"

"Tyranitar," Francine called, "Water Pulse that Regirock!"

The three Pokémon maneuvered their moves.

"Regirock," Giovanni called, "Zap Cannon!"

While Heracross was swooping around at Regice to land its Aerial Ace attack, Gallade swiftly moved in and shielded Tyranitar with another Protect. Heracross's Aerial Ace landed on Regice, but it suffered little damage. Gallade quickly moved out of the way and Tyranitar blasted a strong pulse of water for Regirock. Unfortunately, Registeel stepped into the way and used Protect to shield Regirock from the incoming water.

"Unless we could do anything," dad hissed, "we won't be able to move forward."

Twenty minutes already had passed into the match.

"Ash," dad called me, "I need some speed and power." I nodded. We were going to target Registeel, while Francine kept Regice and Regirock busy.

"Gallade," dad called, "leap up into the air!"

"Heracross," I called, "catch Gallade!"

"Regice," Giovanni commanded sternly, "Ice Beam at them!"

Gallade leaped up into the air where Heracross was stationed. Heracross caught Gallade by its arm and swung it around and around. When Heracross let go, Gallade was aiming straight for Registeel. Regice shot another burst of ice to where Heracross was.

"Regirock," Giovanni called, "Protect that Registeel!"

"Oh no, you don't," Francine yelled. "Tyranitar, use your Night Slash!"

Regirock was stopped by Tyranitar's Night Slash attack.

"Brick Break, Gallade," dad called.

"Heracross," I called, "Close Combat that Regice!"

Gallade, having been boosted its power from the speed gained by the swing, landed a heavy chop on Registeel. Heracross immediately went forth at Regice, unguarded, and followed it with a flurry of kicks and punches. Registeel was knocked back from the immense force and it slammed to the wall behind it. Registeel collapsed to the ground and fainted. Heracross's kicks and punches proved too much for Regice as it fell down backward and also fainted.

"N-N-No way," Giovanni said in utter shock. Only Regirock stood left.

"Tyranitar," Francine called, "use your Water Pulse immediately!"

Tyranitar exerted a strong burst of water. The strong jet of water blasted Regirock back to the wall. Regirock collapsed and fainted.

"Oh yeah," I said victoriously and pumped my fist into the air, "score one for us!"

"Well done," dad said, "and to think that was quite easy..."

Giovanni looked a bit stern as he returned the three Regis back to their Pokéballs. "I only trained a little with these Pokémon and haven't gained total control of their defenses." He smirked. "Well, it was only your power and combination that brought them down." He pocketed the three Pokéballs, then he pulled out another Pokéball. When I got a good look at the Pokéball, I realized that he was holding a Master Ball, the most powerful Pokéball in the world. If there were really a Pokémon inside it, it must be a very powerful Pokémon.

"I'll allow you to bend the rules and unleash every bit you've got to bring this Pokémon down."

The Master Ball opened, and a blinding indigo light surrounded the battlefield. A tremor shook the whole Stadium, and we kept our ground.

"Stay close," dad said to the two of us.

When the blinding indigo light disappeared and the tremor went away, we were greeted by a malevolent roar that echoed across the arena. The roar was caused by a colossal Pokémon, probably taller than all of the three other Regis. The colossal Pokémon stomped the ground and the ground shook hard. I turned to look at the machine – Pikachu was looking down at me worriedly; mom and KC were still unconscious in their capsules. "_We'll get you three out of there; we promise._"

"What's that Pokémon," Francine asked dad.

"That's no ordinary Pokémon," dad muttered. "We better be careful dealing with it. It's a very powerful Pokémon." The colossal Pokémon continued to stomp the ground as it brought tremors around the place. "It's a Regigigas. How Giovanni encountered it, I would never know. But I've done a little research in this Pokémon.

"According to legend, the early people worshiped this titan and gave offerings made out of rock, ice, and steel," dad explained. "When the three titans of rock, ice, and steel fused their power into a certain temple, the colossal titan would awake." He eyed our three Pokémon, which showed no fear against the colossus. "Regigigas has an ability called Slow Start, which means that it's speed and attacks are somewhat feeble in the beginning. However, as the battle progresses, Regigigas will begin to pick the pace in its speed and attacks."

I nodded. "The plan is to slow Regigigas while we still can so that we can have a good shot."

"That's unacceptable," dad said worriedly. "Regigigas also has a range of special attacks. It is a very stable Pokémon and it won't be easy to knock it down." He looked at the countdown: there were a little below an hour remaining. "We have to combine our attacks to bring it down."

We went back to our positions.

"Let's try to attack it while it's still in a slow start," dad suggested.

"Well, well, well," Giovanni said as he stood up from his seat and walked forward. "Let's see how you can stand up against this titan."

"Gallade," dad started, "use your Brick Break!"

"Heracross," I called, "Close Combat!"

"Tyranitar," Francine called, "use Night Slash!"

All the three Pokémon charged with their respective attacks. I watched Giovanni's lips curl into a smile.

"Regigigas," he said, "use Focus Blast."

Regigigas took some time to launch its Focus Blast. Gallade landed its Brick Break, Heracross came up close with its Close Combat. Tyranitar dealt a huge blow with a Night Slash attack. Yet, Regigigas withstood all the three and shot a forced blast of energy. The blast of energy was probably ten times larger than a normal one. Gallade, Heracross, and Tyranitar were all caught in the Focus Blast. And the knocked back Pokémon were charging back at us.

"Look out," Francine yelled.

The three of us dodged in time to avoid the three Pokémon being knocked back from the Focus Blast. They were brutally slammed into the wall as the Focus Blast pressured them. When the energy disappeared, Heracross and Tyranitar fainted. Gallade, being a psychic-type Pokémon, still survived, but it could barely battle any longer.

"No way..." I said under my breath. "Th-That was... one powerful Focus Blast!"

Francine could not say anything... she was absolutely stunned by what happened.

I returned Heracross while Francine returned her Tyranitar. We pocketed our Pokémon and got ready for the next one. It would be a little more time before Regigigas would pick up its attack and speed once more.

"_How could we possibly win against a titan like that?_"

As I watched the clock tick down a little below fifty-five minutes, Pikachu was still struggling in the prison. I knew that this was going to be the most difficult battle I would face – even with my father and Francine at my side. If we could do nothing to stop the colossus, then we could nothing to save the three. I could feel the determination to bring down this Regigigas and put an end to Team Rocket once and for all. I had to show no fear or anticipation against this Pokémon, because I've faced one too many legends in my journey. Yet this is one encounter that will make me use every ounce of my power I've got. This is the Pokémon Master's greatest challenge yet. My family's life was at stake, and I was not going to stop at anything to bring Giovanni to justice. Nothing was going to stop me from protective the people I hold dearest to me – my family. Nothing was going to stop me in reuniting with the complete family once more. This was a battle... we're not allowed to lose.

THE EPIC BATTLE CONTINUES... ASH, FRITZ, AND FRANCINE VS. REGIGIGAS!

* * *

Next chapter on Winner Takes Ash: Team Rocket Epic Battle – Battle of Life and Love! (Part 2 – No Turning Back)

"Show me everything you've got," Giovanni roared. "Show me how it's like to be the Pokémon master! Show me that you deserve to win this!"

Dad's Charizard could not battle any longer. After a strong Giga Impact it suffered in the last hit, his Charizard fell down. He was down to his last Pokémon. Francine was still trying to keep up the offensive, but her attacks wouldn't do any good. The clock showed a little over twenty minutes until the time would run out. Dad pocketed Charizard and brought out his final Pokémon to battle against Regigigas.

"I put my faith and strength in you," dad said and he threw his last Pokéball to the battlefield. His final Pokéball opened and it revealed his Lucario. The Lucario knelt down with one knee on the ground as it pumped itself up to face Regigigas.

"We're just getting started," dad said through flashing eyes – eyes that made him the most serious among us three. "This is where the real party begins."

**TO BE CONTINUED...

* * *

**

**Existing chapters:**

**Prologue: The Pokémon Masters**

**Chapter 1: Face-Off**

**Chapter 2: Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3: Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4: Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

**Chapter 5: Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience**

**Chapter 6: Forest and Poisons**

**Chapter 7: It's A Whole New Gym Leader**

**Chapter 8: Brock's Flashback**

**Chapter 9: Pains of the Past**

**Chapter 10: Petalburg Pursuit – To the Maximum!**

**Chapter 11: Bringing Back the Young Days**

**Chapter 12: A Little Taste of Darkness**

**Chapter 13: Nightmares**

**Chapter 14: A Night in the Meadows**

**Chapter 15: The Amazing Transformation**

**Chapter 16: Tidal Terror**

**Chapter 17: Lost From the Tree**

**Chapter 18: Love Fever – Stricken!**

**Chapter 19: Three-Way Hostility**

**Chapter 20: Detection of Infection – A Virus Like No Other!**

**Chapter 21: A Secret of Two Trainers Unveiled**

**Chapter 22: Contest Preparations**

**Chapter 23: Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 24: More Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 25: Still More Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 26: A Girl's Sweetest Dreams**

**Chapter 27: The Voyage A Maple Has to Follow**

**Chapter 28: A Terrible Sight to Behold**

**Chapter 29: Not All Waterflowers Are Always Blue**

**Chapter 30: Return of Team Rocket – With A Twist!**

**Chapter 31: Francine**

**Chapter 32: The Homecoming**

**Chapter 33: Team Rocket Epic Battle – Battle of Life and Love! Part 1**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

The Team Rocket Epic Battle starts... and this ends as a very short chapter.

The reason why Giovanni's three Regis fainted early was because he put most of the development in his Regigigas. Also, the moveset of the three Regis are similar: Protect, Zap Cannon, Lock On, and their most powerful move that connects with their respective attribute: Stone Edge for Regirock, Flash Cannon for Registeel, and Ice Beam for Regice. But when it came to Regigias, now it's a different story. I decided to spice up the rules – so Regigigas would learn SIX moves instead of four. Focus Blast is one of them. What are the other five? Find out in the next chapter!

Readers, please tell me if Giovanni's plot with the energy-transferral and using Ash's mother and KC was a bit far-fetched, brutal, great, or incredible. Thanks for reading!

**The author does not own Pokémon Diamond and Pearl or Pokémon Platinum or any of its franchises. The author owns Winner Takes Ash.**

**PowerZone**


	36. Ch34: Team Rocket Epic Battle Part 2

**CHAPTER 34: TEAM ROCKET EPIC BATTLE – BATTLE OF LIFE AND LOVE! (PART 2)**

**(NO TURNING BACK)**

They had to face it... no more running away... they must win.

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 33) "Release them at once," dad called.

"What's the matter, Fritz," Giovanni sneered as he stood up from his chair and walked forward to us. "You were always the same... emotional brat – who only thought that Pokémon should be befriended and taken care of. You should've joined me, so that we could establish a place where power mights over everything."

"I'll join you, bastard, when all hell freezes over," dad spat.

(Chapter 33) "According to legend, the early people worshiped this titan and gave offerings made out of rock, ice, and steel," dad explained. "When the three titans of rock, ice, and steel fused their power into a certain temple, the colossal titan would awake." He eyed our three Pokémon, which showed no fear against the colossus. "Regigigas has an ability called Slow Start, which means that it's speed and attacks are somewhat feeble in the beginning. However, as the battle progresses, Regigigas will begin to pick the pace in its speed and attacks."

I nodded. "The plan is to slow Regigigas while we still can so that we can have a good shot."

"That's unacceptable," dad said worriedly. "Regigigas also has a range of special attacks. It is a very stable Pokémon and it won't be easy to knock it down." He looked at the countdown: there were a little below an hour remaining. "We have to combine our attacks to bring it down."

* * *

**STORY PROPER:**

Dad's Gallade would barely stand up any longer. Francine and I were down to three. I sent in Staraptor while Francine sent in her Blastoise. It was a good pick, because Staraptor's Intimidate ability would cut Regigigas's attack power, so that its attacks can be weakened. When we were all ready, we continued the battle.

"Staraptor," I called, "use your Brave Bird!"

Staraptor soared up into the air and sought Regigigas on the ground.

"Blastoise," Francine started, "use your Hydro Pump!"

Blastoise shot a pair of strong blasts of water from its two pumps. The water was fierce enough to move Regigigas backwards, but it endured the move. Staraptor, in the air, started soaring down to ground level. Staraptor encircled the Hydro Pump and dealt a good blow on Regigigas. Despite all this, Regigigas still stood strong.

"Regigigas," Giovanni commanded, "use your Hyper Beam!"

Regigigas had no trouble firing off its Hyper Beam attack. Blastoise's Hydro Pump was pushed backward as Regigigas's Hyper Beam made way. It knocked Blastoise off its feet, but Blastoise still stood strong. Staraptor was still struggling to recover from the recoil damage. Dad's Gallade could only make it out for one more attack.

"Gallade," dad called, "use your Psycho Cut!"

Gallade forced a wave of sharp psychic energy towards Regigigas. Regigigas saw this coming. The sharp psychic energy could only do little to knock it backward with one step.

"I should warn you when I become impatient," Giovanni warned us. "This was your most foolish decision you made, young man." He pointed a finger at Gallade and commanded, "Regigigas, finish off that Gallade with your Focus Blast!"

Regigigas took a lesser time to prepare its energized attack. It started going for Gallade.

"Skull Bash!" Francine called.

At once, Blastoise appeared in front of Gallade and used its Skull Bash to return the Focus Blast to Regigigas. Though it did so with much difficulty, the Focus Blast went back to Regigigas at a very slow speed, good enough for Regigigas to side-step. Giovanni's Regigigas was none as simple as the other Pokémon – it even attacked again after launching its Hyper Beam. It had to take time to recharge its energy before it would attack again, but it was certain that Regigigas was taught to store energy and use it immediately at the precise moments.

The colossus was starting to move a bit faster. As it walked around the battlefield, every step created tremors that rumbled across the Stadium.

"Staraptor," I called, "use your Aerial Ace!"

Staraptor went at Regigigas at blinding speed and struck it. However, Regigigas didn't seem affected by the attack it received.

"That Regigigas has a high defense," I said to dad, "we should do something to make it less unaware."

Dad nodded.

"Regigigas," Giovanni commanded, "use your Earthquake!"

The colossus raised its two arms into the air and slammed it forcefully into the ground. The tremor instantly knocked Gallade and Blastoise off their feet. Blastoise landed back on the ground, but Gallade knocked back to the wall and fainted. Dad returned Gallade back to its Pokéball. "You did well," he said to it as he pocketed his first Pokémon and picked his second one. He threw it to the battlefield.

"Let's go, Magnezone!"

"Magnezone?" I said doubtingly.

"I know that Magnezone can be greatly affected by the Earthquake," dad said. "But I have another plan in mind. Of all the Pokémon I have, Magnezone is the most cunning when it comes to its defense."

"I knew you still need to be pampered," Giovanni said scathingly to dad. "Regigigas, use Focus Blast on Magnezone!"

Regigigas launched a full-blast Focus Blast towards Magnezone. It was launched immediately, so I knew that it the Slow Start was wearing off.

"Mr. Ketchum, look out!" Francine called.

"Magnezone," dad said immediately, "use your Mirror Coat!"

"M-Mirror Coat?!?" Giovanni stammered.

Magnezone created a large glass barrier in front of itself. The Focus Blast was deflected and it went back to Regigigas. The deflected Focus Blast was quicker and it was able to knock Regigigas off its feet.

"Amazing," Francine said in awe as she shook her head in disbelief.

"That's what you call defense," dad said to us. "Now's your chance!"

I nodded.

"Staraptor," I called out, "use your Aerial Ace!"

Staraptor landed an Aerial Ace at the fallen Regigigas.

"Blastoise," Francine said, "use your Hydro Pump once more!" Blastoise exerted another strong wave of water from its pumps.

"Get up," Giovanni spat. "I said, get up!" Regigigas scrambled to stand up. As soon as it was back on its feet, the water hit it hard.

"Magnezone," dad called, "use Magnet Rise!"

Magnezone shielded itself as it hoisted itself further into the air.

"You're a bit naïve, girl," Giovanni tittered. "Regigigas, return that Hydro Pump with your Thunder attack!"

As the water soaked Regigigas, it built up the energy needed to use its Thunder. The Thunder rushed through the water as it linked in every water until it could reach Blastoise. Blastoise was instantly electrified. When I saw this, I had to be careful – Staraptor, being a flying-type, could also suffer the same amount of damage. When the Thunder broke up, Blastoise, though it still stood, became paralyzed. I looked at Francine hopefully.

"Francine," I said to her. She looked back at me. As if she read my mind, Francine nodded.

"Staraptor," I called, "get up close on Regigigas!"

Staraptor dove down from the air to approach Regigigas.

"Attacking head-on will only bring serious risks, Mr. Ketchum," Giovanni tittered. "Regigigas, use your Giga Impact!"

"Use your Heat Wave!" I called.

Staraptor warmed the air around itself and flapped it towards Regigigas. At the same time, Regigigas launched itself into the air with a big leap. The three of us were shocked at Regigigas's leap. The Heat Wave didn't seem to have any effect on Regigigas, which was just recently soaked from the Hydro Pump. And when the two airborne Pokémon were in each other's level, Regigigas slammed Staraptor full-body into the ground. The two of them landed with a large crash that shuddered the whole arena.

"Staraptor," I called, "get up! I know you can!"

Despite the heavy damage Staraptor received, it was able to stand up on its feet.

"Ash," dad said to me.

"Yeah?" I looked at him.

"I think we should sacrifice Staraptor," he said. "I have a good plan to permanently slow down the titan."

"B-But..."

"It's okay if you don't want to," dad said. "But your Staraptor has very little guts to battle any further."

I looked at Staraptor, who seemed to be glaring at Regigigas. "I fully believe in my Pokémon, whether they have the strength to do it or not – I fully believe in every power they have. It's our determination that keeps us going on, despite the odds weighed against us." I turned back to dad. "If we can do this... then I have to put all my faith." Dad turned to me and we looked at each other for a while.

"Son," he said, "when I look at you... I remember the time when you were born. When I looked at you for the first time, I instantly knew that you would have a passion to reach the top. I know you had the faith to become deeper with your Pokémon – even in the brink of losing the battle, you would go to the very end."

"Dad..."

Dad smiled at me. It was the first smile I saw of my father. There were only a little over forty minutes remaining.

"Let's do this," I told him. "What's the plan?"

Francine kept herself busy some time to distract Giovanni and Regigigas as dad and I discussed the plan. I found the plan risky, but effective.

"We only get one shot," dad said to me. "It will require all of Staraptor's power."

I nodded.

Staraptor regained its composure and was ready to take off to the skies.

"Magnezone," dad called out, "use Lock On on Staraptor!"

"What madness is this?" Giovanni yelled.

Magnezone fixed its aim on Staraptor.

"Staraptor," I called, "use your Heat Wave around Regigigas!"

Staraptor soared off to the sky and began to encircle Regigigas. The faster it went, the more heat it produced in its wake. Soon, the heat around Regigigas became intense.

"Okay Magnezone," dad made his move. "Fire your Zap Cannon!"

Magnezone fired a Zap Cannon straight at the Heat Wave. The electric cannon spun round and round the blazing twister as Regigigas found itself trapped within the flaming vortex.

"Staraptor," I called, "fly up!"

Staraptor quickly flew out of the flaming vortex and went up. The Zap Cannon had a little bit escaping the Heat Wave, but when it was able to, I made my move. "Now use Brave Bird on Regigigas and dive through the Zap Cannon!" Staraptor quickly descended and dove straight into the Zap Cannon. Because it only escaped the Heat Wave, the speed of the Zap Cannon was somewhat slower. Staraptor used every last ounce of its energy as it dealt a huge fire-flying-electric blow that knocked Regigigas off its feet. However, the recoil damage made Staraptor faint. Because of the Zap Cannon that Staraptor transferred into Regigigas, the paralysis kicked in.

"Was that okay?" I asked dad.

Dad smiled. "It was perfect."

I smiled back as I returned Staraptor back in its Pokéball. "You did excellent." I told it before I put it back on my belt and prepared my third one. I brought out Crawdaunt.

"Regigigas," Giovanni said, "that paralysis is nothing to you! Give them a taste of our own pure power with Thunder!"

Regigigas struggled to get on its feet after the combination attack then it launched a Thunder attack directly at Blastoise.

"Blastoise," Francine called hastily, "Iron Defense!"

Blastoise quickly withdrew in its shell. Immediately, the Thunder hit the shell and electrified Blastoise with it. When the Thunder dissipated, Blastoise came out of the shell – fainted. Francine felt a bit disappointed as she returned her Blastoise to its Pokéball and prepared her third Pokémon. She sent in her Rhyperior.

"I'm amazed that you've held out for so long," Giovanni tittered. "I wonder if you'll withstand some more in battle."

"You better think twice about that, James," dad said. "Magnezone, use your Tri-Attack!"

Magnezone formed an elemental prism at it headed straight for Regigigas. The Tri-Attack, which consisted of lightning, fire, and ice, simultaneously damaged Regigigas, but the titan didn't seem to feel it. Magnezone's levitating layer disappeared and it gained contact once more with the ground.

When I saw Pikachu trapped in its capsule, it was starting to pound against the capsule glass – attempting to escape. Giovanni, so focused into the battle, had no idea that Pikachu was already starting to tackle its way out.

"Regigigas," Giovanni commanded, "break free from that paralysis! It is nothing to you!"

Much to our awe and dismay, Regigigas was able to get over its paralysis. It was the first time I ever saw a Pokémon break out from its paralysis from no account at all. We were being backed into a corner.

"Very good, now use your Earthquake!" Regigigas made a leap into the air and slammed the ground with its arms and legs. The force of impact went straight at all the three Pokémon. Rhyperior and Crawdaunt were able to shield themselves with their Protect attack, but dad's Magnezone had no chance. The Earthquake swept Magnezone into the back wall and it crashed violently. Magnezone did not get up – dad lost his second Pokémon. And we were all down to our last two. Only thirty minutes left to go... If Pikachu could break out from that capsule without Giovanni knowing it, then we could finish the match without worrying about the time limit.

"Return, Magnezone," dad said as he returned his Magnezone back into its Pokéball. He smiled at it for a moment before he pocketed it and took out his third Pokémon. He sent out his Charizard. Dad's Charizard roared a blaze of fire in the air. Charizard, Rhyperior, and Crawdaunt faced the Regigigas in the battlefield.

"Crawdaunt, use your Bubblebeam!"

Crawdaunt launched a stream of bubbles at Regigigas, but due to its massive size, Regigigas seemed to have taken very little damage or none at all. Maybe it all needed brute strength to land some good damage on the giant.

"Dad, Francine," I said to them, "I have an idea."

The two of them immediately turned to me.

"Let's try to weaken Regigigas's balance," I suggested. "We'll just have to aim for the most vital points in the body... for instance, the legs."

Dad looked at the Regigigas. "It might work... but it will take a lot of effort doing damage to its..." then he suddenly realized what I was up to... "I get the point."

"Huh?" Francine said suddenly, "What do you get?"

"Listen," I said to her, "your Rhyperior can learn Stone Edge right? Aim your Stone Edge for the head."

Francine nodded.

"Okay," I turned back to the Regigigas and got ready, "let's work this out. Crawdaunt, use your Bubblebeam!"

Crawdaunt launched another wave of bubbles as they struck Regigigas's legs.

"Going for the same offense will not bring you any further," Giovanni taunted. "Regigigas, use Earthquake!"

"_Just as I thought,_" then I turned to Francine and gave her the signal.

"Stone Edge," she commanded.

Rhyperior shot a wave of rocks from both of its artillery arms. Regigigas had already pounded the ground as it let loose a shock wave in the battlefield. The Stone Edge quickly set for Regigigas as the piles of stones worked on its feet. The plan was going perfectly well. The stones would hold Regigigas and some of the upright ground in place – thanks to the moisture of the water.

"Charizard," dad called, "use your Steel Wing on Regigigas's legs!"

Charizard dashed at Regigigas as its wings glowed metallic bright. BAM! The force of the Steel Wing crushed the rocks gathered at the feet of Regigigas.

"What's going on?" Giovanni roared.

"Rhyperior," Francine continued, "Rock Wrecker!"

Rhyperior blasted an incredible chunk of rock and sent it straight for Regigigas.

"Crawdaunt," I called, "assist that rock with Crabhammer!"

Crawdaunt faced the incoming rock. When the rock was close enough, Crawdaunt acrobatically leaped over it to the other side of the rock then struck it hard with its Crabhammer. The Rock Wrecker would become fiercer and faster.

"Charizard," dad called, "grab that rock then use Seismic toss!"

Charizard swooped in from behind Regigigas then took a hold of the rock. Charizard immediately flew up with the rock and circled around in the air to build power. Then Charizard swooped down and went straight for Regigigas to land a full-body tackle.

"That's a bad idea," Giovanni said and he pulled an evil grin.

"What makes you say that?" I yelled.

"Regigigas," Giovanni commanded, "use Focus Blast!"

I coiled – I completely forgot about the Focus Blast! Regigigas built up the energy and blasted it to the incoming Charizard. Charizard tried to dodge, but the Focus Blast knocked it back in the air. As the pressure from the Focus Blast built onto Charizard, the chunk of rock started to lose pressure until it exploded in the air. Charizard fell down to the ground and landed heavily. Because of the blast that it received from the rock it had held, and that Charizard was extremely vulnerable to rock moves, Charizard had a hard time to recover.

"That was... too close..." I panted. My breathing became suddenly abnormal. But even with two Pokémon remaining, and the time over twenty-five minutes, we could hardly keep up.

"You only have a quarter of an hour before everything is all over," Giovanni tittered, "make use of the minutes while you still can."

When I looked at the machine, Pikachu was suddenly silent. It had exhausted itself from trying to break open the capsule. Mom and KC hadn't woken up yet.

"Charizard," dad called forcefully, "Fire Blast!"

Charizard blasted a ball of fire from its mouth. As the ball of fire went for Regigigas, it transformed into a giant five-pointer-star blast of flame.

"Thunder!"

Regigigas blasted out an even more powerful surge of Thunder than before. The lightning completely tore through the Fire Blast and it went straight for Charizard.

"Protect!" Francine and I called out.

Crawdaunt and Rhyperior immediately appeared in front of Charizard, and they created a protective layer against the three of them. The lightning deflected off from the shield and disappeared. Regigigas's Thunder became devastating, so Crawdaunt and Charizard would have to be careful. I wondered how the Thunder did not go straight for Francine's Rhyperior, having the Lightningrod ability. My best guess was that Giovanni must've made Regigigas learn how to control the lightning path. Now we were faced with a difficult situation.

"If you want to defeat this titan, all you have to do is surrender," Giovanni tittered. "This battle is the worst mistake you've ever set foot into, Fritz."

"Your evil will not be tolerated," dad hissed through gritted teeth. "We'll bring down you and that Regigigas before time is up."

"Oh, I appreciate the courage," Giovanni said, "but courage is all you have."

"I am a man of my word, James," dad roared.

Giovanni's lips curled as he stood up from his seat. "Very well, let's have a battle of wits and strength... one on one..."

"That's not fair!" Francine yelled.

"Oh, what do you mean it's not fair? You are battling three against one, are you not?"

Francine clenched her fists. Giovanni turned back to dad.

"Let's say we have a little strength test – one-on-one," Giovanni said. "I will stop the clock for five minutes. If you can defeat my Regigigas with your Charizard, then... you win. But if you can't... then the clock will continue ticking."

"Dad... don't do this... it's a trap..."

"Fine..." dad snapped. Giovanni smiled. "Ash and Francine," dad said to the both of us, "rest your Pokémon in the sidelines... don't return them yet." Rhyperior and Crawdaunt went to us as they watched from the sidelines. Dad stepped forward to face Giovanni. Charizard and Regigigas faced each other in the battlefield.

"Ready to lose?"

Dad grunted.

"Regigigas," Giovanni started, "use your Thunder!"

The electrical blast was devastating. Every surge of lightning crushed the whole battlefield as the wave of lightning drew closer for Charizard.

"Steel Wing on the ground!" dad called.

Charizard, prepared to face the Thunder, drew its wings onto the ground and suspended them. The wave of lightning surrounded Charizard as it was drawn inside the barrier of blinding electricity. Francine whimpered but I told her not to panic. When the lightning disappeared, Charizard withdrew its wings from the ground. It was still standing after the massive discharge.

"Not bad," Giovanni said praisingly, "since when did you learn to put a lightning rod, eh?"

Dad ignored the taunt. "Charizard, use Fire Blast!"

Charizard flew up into the air then fired its Fire Blast down at Regigigas. The five-pointed flame swirled in the air as it descended for Regigigas. Regigigas had already gained some speed from the preceding turns and it quickly moved out of the way. This battle was just going to get worse.

"Hyper Beam!"

Regigigas shot another Hyper Beam that once again tore through the Fire Blast.

"Dodge it!" dad called.

Charizard was able to dodge the Hyper Beam.

"Flare Blitz!" dad called.

"Thunder!"

Regigigas spurned another Thunder attack, while Charizard approached Regigigas at blinding speed with the intensity fire raging around its body. The flame and the lightning met in mid-air and they endured each other's attack for a while.

"Come on, Charizard," I pleaded to myself as I clenched my fists.

"Full power!" came dad and Giovanni.

Charizard kept pushing through with the Flare Blitz while Regigigas continued on with the Thunder. And after a few seconds, a colossal explosion rocked the whole arena and black smoke filled Charizard. Less than three seconds later, Charizard dashed out from the smoke and landed its Flare Blitz on Regigigas. The titan went a few steps backward, but it did not collapse. Even I couldn't believe how Charizard was able to push through with the Thunder. It was like... dad used Flare Blitz defensively.

"They say that defense is the best offense," dad said triumphantly.

"It's too early to be celebrating," Giovanni said as he folded his arms and smirked.

"What are you saying?" dad spat.

"Regigigas, use your Giga Impact!"

Charizard was greatly weakened after it landed its Flare Blitz attack. Regigigas attempted its Giga Impact as it ran to Charizard and shaking the ground with every step it made.

"Charizard," dad called, "move out of there!"

However, it took a little too long for Charizard to recover from the recoil damage it received. And when it saw Regigigas heading its way, it was already too late. BAM! The massive body slammed onto Charizard as Charizard was knocked off the battlefield and it landed on the ground a few feet away from the sideline. Giovanni started to laugh maniacally.

"Show me everything you've got," Giovanni roared. "Show me how it's like to be the Pokémon master! Show me that you deserve to win this!"

Dad's Charizard could not battle any longer. After a strong Giga Impact it suffered in the last hit, his Charizard fell down. He was down to his last Pokémon. Francine was still trying to keep up the offensive, but her attacks wouldn't do any good. The clock showed a little over twenty minutes until the time would run out. Dad pocketed Charizard and brought out his final Pokémon to battle against Regigigas.

"I put my faith and strength in you," dad said and he threw his last Pokéball to the battlefield. His final Pokéball opened and it revealed his Lucario. The Lucario knelt down with one knee on the ground as it pumped itself up to face Regigigas.

"We're just getting started," dad said through flashing eyes – eyes that made him the most serious among us three. "This is where the real party begins."

"Well, I guess it's time to resume the clock," Giovanni said. Once the clock continued ticking, Lucario, Crawdaunt, and Rhyperior went forward to face Regigigas.

"Crawdaunt," I called, "use Crabhammer!"

Crawdaunt started with the offensive as it raised a pincer high for Regigigas.

"Finish it off with your Thunder!"

Regigigas blasted another surge of lightning straight for Crawdaunt.

"Rhyperior," Francine called immediately, "Horn Drill!"

Francine's Rhyperior moved forward as it caught the electricity on its drill. This allowed Crawdaunt to proceed and land a Crabhammer attack. The attack only did very little damage.

"Lucario," dad called, "use your Aura Sphere!"

Dad's Lucario moved in as it shot an Aura Sphere attack straight for Regigigas.

"Focus Blast immediately!"

Regigigas's Focus Blast reacted quickly as it collided with the Aura Sphere halfway between Lucario and Regigigas. Dad coiled in frustration.

"He's using his attacks to defend itself," dad observed. "Regigigas's moves are purely offensive."

"Rhyperior," Francine called, "Rock Wrecker!"

Francine's Rhyperior was quite close to Regigigas, so it had a good chance. However, as soon as Rhyperior's Rock Wrecker was launched, Regigigas swiftly sidestepped to avoid the incoming chunk of rock. And that was not all – when the chunk of rock missed Regigigas, it was going straight for Crawdaunt!

"Look out," I called.

Crawdaunt reacted immediately by using Crabhammer to destroy the chunk of rock. However, this gave Giovanni some time to attack.

"Regigigas, grab both of the Pokémon!"

Rhyperior and Crawdaunt could not escape as Regigigas grabbed both Pokémon.

"Giga Impact!"

Regigigas immediately launched into the air like a rocket.

"Oh no!" Francine yelped.

"Crawdaunt!' I screamed. Both Pokémon ensared could not hear us from the ground.

When Regigigas reached its maximum height, about two-hundred feet off the ground, it started descending. Regigigas approached the ground so fiercely that it wanted to crush what's left of Rhyperior's and Crawdaunt's defense. Like a comet about to hit land, Regigigas's path flared. The colossus landed on the ground so fiercely that it also created an Earthquake. Lucario was able to dodge the fissures that sprouted from the ground.

When the dust smoke cleared, Rhyperior and Crawdaunt were down for the count. Francine and I returned both of our Pokémon into their Pokéballs. There were only fifteen more minutes to go.

"That... Regigigas..." dad stammered as he shook his head disbelievingly, "w-w-we... can't... defeat it."

When Giovanni heard this, he started to laugh maniacally. "You see James, pure power is a brutal key to win this battle. And Regigigas is pure power!"

Francine prepared her final Pokémon. Tears were starting to pour down from her face.

"G-Go, Salamence!" she cried as she threw her Pokéball to the air. Salamence popped out of the Pokéball and roared to the sky.

We were all down to our final Pokémon... if there was nothing we could do to stop it, then nothing would...

Giovanni laughed again, "This is your final shot! Bring out everything you've got! But if you fail, then everything ends here!"

"I'm not letting you get away with this," dad snapped.

"You'll see very soon who won't be getting away," Giovanni sneered.

However, my final pick was interrupted when Francine screamed.

"Salamence... what are you...?"

Dad and I turned to Salamence, which swiftly soared into the air and approached the machine. Giovanni eyed Salamence's movements.

"NO!"

Giovanni made his way back to the chair with the button to press it, but Salamence was able to use a Hyper Beam that crushed it instantly. The moment I saw this, I was starting to feel hope. Salamence then made a charge for the giant machine then it struck the glass capsule with Pikachu in it.

"Pikachu!"

Pikachu immediately climbed on Salamence, and the dragon Pokémon swooped back down to the ground.

I couldn't believe the series of events that took place – and those series of events would be our lucky break.

"That's what you get when you put your head in the game too much, you forgot about your little button!" Francine called triumphantly.

I was able to smile. "F-Francine... y-you're amazing!"

Francine turned to me as she winked and said, "Pikachu's yours. Now, let's finish this!"

"Pi-Pika pi!"

It was a blessed sight to be reunited with Pikachu. The two of us embraced each other so tight like we almost lost each other. "I'm sorry to have worried you," I said apologetically. Pikachu was already brimming its eyes with tears. "I'm so happy to see you again." When we released the hug, Pikachu went back to the ground and filled its cheeks with electricity, signaling that it was ready to battle.

"Pikachu," Giovanni hissed through gritted teeth as he clenched his fists.

The clock showed a little over ten minutes.

"It's a battle to the death!" Giovanni roared. Regigigas stepped forward to face the three of them. "We face off with brutal strength."

"The party's starting," Francine said. Salamence stepped forward.

"I've been waiting for this," dad said. Lucario stepped forward.

"It's time to make a blast," I said. Pikachu stepped forward.

The three Pokémon and the colossus looked at each other fiercely for a brief moment, while we all took time to build the anticipation. We had to end Team Rocket – all of them – right here in this battle! By now, many people might be causing a ruckus in the Stadium entrance. The sounds of the police could already be heard outside. Giovanni panicked for a little bit, but he was able to get over it.

"Regigigas," Giovanni called, "use Thunder attack!"

Regigigas yet again released another surge of energy directed for them. Francine and I looked at each other and we nodded.

"Dodge to the side!"

Immediately, Salamence dodged to the left while Pikachu dodged to the right. It was only Lucario facing the Thunder attack. But dad did not seem to panic. He was also going with the flow.

"Ride the lightning!"

Lucario quickly intensified itself then it quickly rode over the Thunder attack. Lucario ran at blinding speed as it traced to the source of the Thunder.

"Now use Drain Punch!"

Regigigas did not have time to dodge as Lucario landed an energy-draining punch right on Regigigas's head. After that attack, Lucario felt renewed as it landed back on the ground. Pikachu and Salamence were opposite across each other from Regigigas. I watched Giovanni move his head side to side. It seemed that he was deciding who to attack.

"Regigigas," Giovanni called, "use your Focus Blast on Lucario!"

Regigigas launched a Focus Blast straight for Lucario. Fortunately, Lucario was swift to evade it acrobatically by a side flip.

"Salamence," Francine called immediately, "use your Flamethrower!"

Salamence shot a gaping burst of flame from its mouth. The flames hit Regigigas, but Regigigas was able to shield it with its arm.

"Pikachu," I called, "Volt Tackle!"

"Earthquake, Regigigas," Giovanni commanded.

Regigigas shrugged the flames then it pounded both of its arms onto the ground. The sonicboom launched across the battlefield. Pikachu and Lucario were the most in danger. Fortunately, Francine's Salamence swooped in and caught Pikachu to evade the Earthquake. Lucario leaped into the air and hopped on top of Salamence. All three Pokémon were in the air. Giovanni curled his lips.

"I'm starting to become impatient," Giovanni sneered. "Regigigas, use your Giga Impact!"

At once, Regigigas launched into the air and went to the level of the three Pokémon.

"Look out," dad called out.

"Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!"

At once, Pikachu went off Salamence then it made a direct electrical tackle straight at Regigigas. Regigigas fell back to the ground with a heavy thud.

"Get up," Giovanni spat, "now!" It took some time for Regigigas to recover itself. Now we knew that it was already getting tired. If we could wear Regigigas out without using too much of our effort, then we could still get a chance.

Salamence landed back on the ground in front of us. Pikachu and Lucario disembarked Salamence.

"Regigigas, Hyper Beam!"

Regigigas launched another Hyper Beam straight for the three of them.

"Lucario, use your Psychic!"

Lucario faced the Hyper Beam and started to slow down the speed by using its Psychic attack. It's eyes glowed eerily, but the Hyper Beam did not give up. The Hyper Beam reached all three Pokémon, but it did very little damage and not enough to knock all three Pokémon off their feet. It seemed as if Lucario controlled the Hyper Beam psychically. Only six minutes remained in the clock. We were so close... so close...

"Pikachu," I called out, "Thunderbolt, now!"

Francine then came in. "Salamence, assist it with Flamethrower!"

Pikachu's Thunderbolt and Salamence's Flamethrower combined themselves as they tore the air and shot straight for Regigigas.

"Focus Blast, now!" Giovanni called.

Regigigas shot another stream of pure energy and launched it straight at the attack. The mixed electric-fire attack and the Focus Blast collided and resulted in an explosion that smoked the battlefield. Lucario quickly stepped inside the haze.

"Even in total darkness," I said, "Lucario could still detect Regigigas."

"Lucario," dad called, "Aura Sphere now!"

Somewhere in the dark haze, Lucario blasted another ball of energy. Lucario flung it towards Regigigas, which seemed to have no idea that an attack was directed for it.

"Clear the haze with your Thunder!"

"Salamence," Francine called immediately, "guide Lucario out of there!"

Immediately, Regigigas exerted another strong wave of electricity around the battlefield. The Aura Sphere immediately dissipated once the lightning collided with it. Salamence luckily found Lucario inside the haze and it quickly grabbed Lucario out of the haze, then flew up with it into the air. The Thunder cleared most of the haze and we were able to see Regigigas and Giovanni once more. Regigigas was still struggling, but it never showed a sign of giving up.

"We forced our combined attacks on it," Francine said, "but they all failed. What should we do to stop this titan?"

"I'll tell you," Giovanni replied, "why don't you just surrender and turn Fritz in?"

"NEVER!" I roared, my eyes blazing with anger.

Giovanni smirked. "Very well, if you don't... then I can always blow the machine up." He took out something from inside his tuxedo – the object he took out was a remote trigger. "Anytime, when I wish to, I could press this little switch and self-destruct the whole machine. It was a back-up in case something would go wrong."

"We've been snitched," Francine gasped. "And I never expected that."

"So... when are you going to give in?" Giovanni asked confidently. "You know that you can't win against pure power."

"Didn't you hear me," I spat. "We would never turn..."

"Ash..." dad said immediately.

I looked up at him. When I read the expression marked on his face, I almost felt as if he was going to give up... "Dad... you're not..."

"Mr. Ketchum, no!" Francine pleaded.

"So what's it gonna be...?" Giovanni said. "Will you go all the way and only lose in the end or will you turn yourself in and spare the lives of your loved ones?"

The clock was still ticking at only four more minutes to go. When I looked back in the machine, my eyes dilated. Mom and KC were stirring. I watched them a little bit closer, until the two of them became fully conscious and aware of what was happening. Mom and KC suddenly became frightened. They tried to make out words, but I couldn't read them. My heart suddenly pounded with all the rage it could handle. All the blood in my body boiled up as I lost all control of my emotions – only to risk myself in the worst situations possible. Giovanni could press the little switch of the remote trigger anytime, and I was not bound to let that happen. Never would he dare to do that... never...

"Fine," dad said, defeated.

"Dad..."

Giovanni laughed maniacally. "So you're giving up already? Well, it's only to be expected... I knew that the brother would just be so crazy to give in so suddenly."

"Ash..." dad said, "... take care of Delia and KC..."

"Dad, no... wait..."

Dad looked at me again.

"There's nothing else we can do..." dad said. Francine was already in the verge of tears. "How can we win against power when power is all we have?"

"There has to be another way..." I muttered.

For a split second, I thought that surrender was the only option. Dad was already giving up... but after what he said, there might just be another chance. "_How are we supposed to win when power is all we have?_" Then like a Hammer Arm that struck my head to come up with an idea, my thoughts sprang into action. "_That's it!_" I had to explain the plan immediately... and that the whole attempt could be done in only two minutes. If we could divert Regigigas's power and force it to use its power without diverting its target, then we could shut it down with a single attack. I explained the plan to dad and Francine. Dad looked back at Regigigas and nodded.

"After Regigigas launches an attack, it regains its energy almost immediately, right?" dad asked.

I nodded. "It's the reason why Regigigas can't be taken down so easily. If a Pokémon is really pure power, then we can shut it down with absolute power while it's making use of its power. I know it sounds confusing... but it might just work." Then I whispered, "All what Regigigas has to use... is that move. If it doesn't, then it will never work."

"Are you sure about this?" Francine asked worriedly.

I turned to her and patted her shoulder, "We can all do it. Today, everyone's lives will be saved – by absolute power."

Francine nodded and she smiled.

"Son," dad said to me, "I'm so proud of you. You truly deserve the title of Pokémon master."

I smiled. "Thanks, dad." My thoughts were distracted when I saw the final minute on the clock. "There's no time... let's do it."

The three of us turned to Giovanni's Regigigas.

"I'll make use of your last minute," Giovanni said, "so... show me what you've got."

Dad immediately started, "Lucario, go!"

At once, Lucario dashed forward for Regigigas.

"Jump up!" dad called.

"Going for the offense, once more?" Giovanni tittered, "Show them what pure power is! Use your Hyper Beam!"

I smiled... everything was going perfectly.

"Pikachu," I called, "ride on Salamence!"

Pikachu nodded and it immediately rode on Salamence.

"Let's fly!" Francine said.

At the same time, Salamence started flying, Regigigas fired its Hyper Beam at Lucario.

"This will be over!" Giovanni yelled.

"Lucario," dad called, "Psychic on Regigigas!"

"There's no way you can stop it now!" Giovanni yelled again.

Dad smirked. "I'm not attacking you know... I'm making Regigigas attack Lucario!"

Giovanni's smile faded. "Wh-What are you...?"

Lucario's eyes flashed and it maneuvered its Psychic attack on Regigigas. The Hyper Beam that went out from Regigigas became stronger as it went for Lucario. Lucario had to endure the attack while it could and force all its Psychic energy for Regigigas to keep attacking.

"What's going on?" Giovanni roared.

Salamence and Pikachu flew up behind Regigigas, which was still affixing its Hyper Beam on Lucario. Pikachu immediately jumped out from Salamence and hopped on top of Regigigas's head.

"Pikachu," I called, "use your Volt Barrage!"

"Volt Barrage?" Francine wondered.

"Volt Barrage?" came dad.

"Volt Barrage?" Giovanni said.

Pikachu exerted a strong burst of electricity from its body.

"Pi-ka-CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!" Every wave of electricity flooded from Pikachu as it discharged everything onto Regigigas. Pikachu's electricity was more intensifying than the Thunder it produced. And while Regigigas was being electrified, it was still firing its Hyper Beam. The two attacks merged and connected until Regigigas couldn't handle it anymore. A sudden explosion rocked the whole field – an explosion even greater than the ones occurred in the past hour. When the smoke cleared, Regigigas was paralyzed.

"Salamence," Francine called for the final hit, "use Draco Meteor!"

Salamence, in mid-air, curled its hands together then it summoned a fiery purple and red meteor from its hands. When the meteor was big enough, Salamence grabbed the solidified meteorite then threw it onto the paralyzed Regigigas. There was no way that Regigigas could get out from this paralysis.

"Lucario," dad called, "use your Psychic attack!"

Lucario used Psychic on Regigigas once more and it was forced to use Hyper Beam again. Giovanni became terrified.

"R-R-Regigigas! NOOOOOO!!!"

BAM!

The impact of the Draco Meteor was too great. The loudest explosion rocked the battlefield – a part of the ceiling crashed down to the floor.

The clock reached twenty seconds.

When the smoke from the explosion cleared, all four Pokémon were still standing. But I knew that there would be something more to that.... Fifteen... ten... Regigigas started to fall down backwards... five... four... three... two... SLAM! Zero.

It took all of us fifteen seconds to believe the outcome. Regigigas did not stand up.

"Regigigas is unable to battle," dad said triumphantly.

I couldn't believe it...

"W-We won!" I started. "WE WON!" We won by the fraction of a second.

Pikachu, Salamence, and Lucario danced in the battlefield in victory over the titan. And we just laughed at the victory and on Giovanni's terrified face. Giovanni knelt to the ground in bitter defeat. Dad, Francine, and I with all our Pokémon walked over to where Giovanni was. He was clutching on the ground.

"Well," dad said scathingly. "I'm still the brother you knew... but you are not the brother I know anymore..."

"Team Rocket is finished," I spat at Giovanni. "You should give it up."

Giovanni looked up. "Team Rocket... is finished..." he said bitterly. But after pausing for a few seconds. He twisted his lips into a sinister smile and finished the sentence, "... and so is your family!"

"NO!!!" dad roared and he lunged forward to snatch the trigger from Giovanni. However, Giovanni was quick and he pressed the switch.

"NOOOO!!!"

I expected a great explosion from the machine... however, none came. When no explosion occurred, Giovanni's eyes dilated then he started cursing. "Wh-What the heck...?" He pressed the switch repeatedly, but not even a spark lit up. "Why is it not working?" I didn't know what to do next, until we heard someone answer the question.

"That's because you... are finished as well."

Dad, Francine, and I turned.

My eyes dilated and I lost my breath for a moment. I had to rub my eyes if I was seeing things. But my imaginary vision never acted up... it was Jessie and James and Meowth! The three of them approached us.

"Stealing Pokémon is what Team Rocket does," Jessie started.

"But using human ransom to put people's lives in horrible danger..." James continued.

"... That's a loser's tactic," Meowth finished.

Francine flinched. "A talking Meowth?"

"Let them finish," I said to Francine.

Giovanni looked at them. "Y-You! You cause me so much frustration! And if only this plan could have worked out when you laid off voluntarily! You should call yourselves cowards!"

Jessie leaned closer. "Oh, we have no problem being cowards..."

"... but being a coward is the most honorable thing we've done," James continued.

Giovanni hissed through gritted teeth. "Why you...!"

"Hey," I asked them, "how come the explosion didn't occur?"

"Well, we were able to hire a professional to disable the self-destruct sequence," Jessie answered. I looked down at Meowth, whose claws glinted in the sunlight. I nodded and figured out that Meowth must've worked out the whole thing to disengage the self-destruct. "And what a total professional it was."

"... It's thanks to the boss we became mechanically skilled," James said scathingly. "Hadn't it been for self-destruction prevention, then we couldn't have saved the people trapped inside those capsules."

"Speaking of which..." Jessie said. She took out another remote trigger and flicked it. The capsules that held mom and KC opened – and the both of them were released. Francine assisted KC, while dad assisted mom.

"Wh-Where did you..." Giovanni hissed.

"Hey, Team Rocket gathers information..." James said.

"B-But you're not Team Rocket anymore!" Giovanni spat. "That's already stealing!"

"I've never heard the idea that people would steal from people that steal," Meowth continued. "But it has a good ring attached to it."

Dad moved forward and grabbed Giovanni by the collars of his tuxedo. "It's all over, James. You know what you've done. You can't unwind all the pain that you've inflicted upon everyone. They are all free to throw back at you." He threw back Giovanni into the ground. "I never liked you... You disgust me, you disgust the whole family. It was a shame that you were born."

Giovanni caught mom's eye. "Delia..."

"Stay away from her," dad warned Giovanni intently, but mom held him back. She stepped forward and crouched down at Giovanni's level.

"James, nobody can ever forgive you for what you've done," mom said consolingly. "But while you're alone... you should think of what happens next." It was a bit shocking... not to get angry at the kidnapper. But I understood how mom felt... for this had something to do with the family. I was not looking anymore at Giovanni, but at my uncle James.

Meanwhile, Jessie threw down the remote trigger that set KC and mom free. KC continued to sob on Francine's shoulder. James looked down at Giovanni and said, "The Interpol's on the way here. This is where Team Rocket disbands... for good." When he was done saying this, the three of them turned away and started to walk out. But just before they could walk down the path, somebody said Jessie's name.

Jessie turned around.

"You still don't care... do you...?" Francine said, eyes already filling with tears.

Jessie looked down. "Sometimes, I just don't care... but I don't want to put someone else's life in danger again." She approached Francine.

A little bit of confusion rose within me when I saw Jessie do this, but then I realized the way how the two girls reacted. Francine was right... Jessie is actually her cousin! "You did well for someone so young," Jessie said as she patted Francine in the shoulder. "Even your young partner could do better. Guess you still need some training." When she said these words, Francine smiled as she tried to rub them off. She nodded.

"But what about you, Jessie?" Francine asked worriedly. "Now that you've laid off, where will you go next?"

Jessie started to turn away, but she also said, "That's... for me... to think about."

"Will we be seeing each other in the future?"

She hesitated for a moment. "Hey, when we see each other again, I hope you've done something to your hair. It's horrible."

Francine laughed. Even I smirked at the remark.

"Well, the police will handle everything," Jessie said as her final words as she started to walk away with James and Meowth. "The Interpol will be reasonable enough."

* * *

Giovanni was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment. Team Rocket members caught in the Indigo Plateau were sentenced to five to twenty years of imprisonment. However, not all members were found – some were clever enough to escape the clutches of the Interpol. An immediate search warrant issued for the remaining Team Rocket members. Jessie and James were caught and they were interrogated. However, in the trial, they were established to be ex-members of the said organization. Later, Jessie and James were found innocent of all charges. Strong evidence and testimony from Francine, dad, and I were able to support the innocence of the two. Some of the members were charged, while some fled and were never found.

When the Interpol raided the operations of Team Rocket in different branches around the world, they uncovered a shocking discovery. Giovanni had a son who died from the actions Team Rocket has done. It was perhaps for Giovanni to provide some sort of basis to continue Team Rocket by extreme means. Investigations went everywhere across the world as they searched for any other remains of Team Rocket. The whole issue was closed three years later. After the final investigation findings, the case was closed and Team Rocket disappeared forever... or so I thought.

Back to the day when Giovanni was convicted, all matches in the Indigo League were postponed for a month to repair the damages Giovanni (and mostly done by us) made. It took quite a while, but there were no major damages on the overall building. Mom and KC had to recover in the hospital; the two of them did not suffer any major injury except for a few bruises. As for the Regigigas Giovanni had, Candice, the gym leader of Snowpoint City in the Sinnoh region, testified about the invasion of the Snowpoint Temple. Regigigas was released and stoned back in Snowpoint Temple, and the Master Ball that held the colossus was destroyed. The three Regis were caught in the Tree of Beginning in the Hoenn region. They were released cautiosly and it did not do any more harm.

* * *

So when the Indigo Stadium was ready to hit again, the League started where we all left off. Things were settling back to normal – and I was extremely happy to watch KC perform once more and do her best.

"Bellossom, use your Petal Dance!"

"Togekiss, Air Slash!"

"Squirtle, Hydro Pump!"

KC performed exceptionally well that it even made Francine a little jealous. And speaking of Francine, she decided to make me fly on her Salamence. Salamence went quite jerky for a while, but I was able to get the hang of it. I rode on a Salamence before, but Francine's seemed to be the more sensitive type.

KC was able to make her way to the final four. She had little difficulty to finish two against three, but she pulled it off incredibly in the end with Misdreavus's good display of Magical Leaf and Psychic. And before the day ended, KC was down to the championship round. My guts started to become uneasy when I watched KC step into the battlefield. It almost reminded me of the match that lost my shot.

"Togekiss, use Air Slash!"

"Bellossom, Drain Punch now!"

"Squirtle, Skull Bash!"

"Misdreavus, Psychic!"

"Hitmonlee, finish it off with Rolling Kick!"

"Dodge that Mothim and use Silver Wind!"

After an hour and nine minutes in the match, the winner was decided. Unfortunately, KC's final Pokémon, Togekiss, fell down to a Golem's powerful Rock Slide attack. Though Francine, mom, dad, and I sighed down in disappointment, we were extremely proud of her. KC was awarded the first-runner up trophy.

As reward for KC, I loaned her one of my most capable Pokémon, who helped me in the rescue and battled against a titan. I gave to her my Crawdaunt. Crawdaunt felt a bit downhearted when I said that I would give it to KC, but KC was gentle to take care of Crawdaunt, and the two of them got together afterwards.

* * *

The night we came back to Pallet Town, we had a little party to celebrate KC's victory and to welcome back my father. Professor Oak and Gary were also invited. We celebrated the night away as dad relieved memories of the place. He was most surprised when he viewed the achievements I had obtained – the gym badges, trophies, and the Battle Frontier Symbols. Of all the people who were laughing that happy night, dad laughed the hardest. Gary also admitted that he was envious that I obtained all the seven Frontier Symbols.

But something in the scene did not seem right in the midst of the celebration... I searched around the living room (while dad made himself comfortable in the living room to view family videos) but I couldn't see her anywhere. Luckily, I was able to find a fleeting figure outside the window. I slowly went to the doorway and went out the door.

"Francine, where are you going?"

Francine, who was standing at the gate to the house, stopped in her tracks and she looked at me. She was smiling – but I knew that she was smiling... for a very different reason. Was she going somewhere... or was she leaving for good?

* * *

Next and final chapter on Winner Takes Ash: When A Chapter Ends, A New One Begins!

"Remember what Jessie said," Francine told me. "She had to think about where she would go next." She looked down to the ground. "As for me... I guess, I should head back home."

"But you don't have a family to live with," I said to her. "C'mon, you can stay with us..."

Francine looked up and smiled. "Thanks, Ash... but I know that I'll just be bearing a heavy burden upon your family."

She was partly right. But if I decided to let her go, I would be worried about where she would go. But I had a better idea. It was an idea that she won't refuse.

"Hey... how about you live here in Pallet Town?"

**TO BE CONTINUED...

* * *

**

**Existing chapters:**

**Prologue: The Pokémon Masters**

**Chapter 1: Face-Off**

**Chapter 2: Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3: Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4: Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

**Chapter 5: Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience**

**Chapter 6: Forest and Poisons**

**Chapter 7: It's A Whole New Gym Leader**

**Chapter 8: Brock's Flashback**

**Chapter 9: Pains of the Past**

**Chapter 10: Petalburg Pursuit – To the Maximum!**

**Chapter 11: Bringing Back the Young Days**

**Chapter 12: A Little Taste of Darkness**

**Chapter 13: Nightmares**

**Chapter 14: A Night in the Meadows**

**Chapter 15: The Amazing Transformation**

**Chapter 16: Tidal Terror**

**Chapter 17: Lost From the Tree**

**Chapter 18: Love Fever – Stricken!**

**Chapter 19: Three-Way Hostility**

**Chapter 20: Detection of Infection – A Virus Like No Other!**

**Chapter 21: A Secret of Two Trainers Unveiled**

**Chapter 22: Contest Preparations**

**Chapter 23: Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 24: More Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 25: Still More Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 26: A Girl's Sweetest Dreams**

**Chapter 27: The Voyage A Maple Has to Follow**

**Chapter 28: A Terrible Sight to Behold**

**Chapter 29: Not All Waterflowers Are Always Blue**

**Chapter 30: Return of Team Rocket – With A Twist!**

**Chapter 31: Francine**

**Chapter 32: The Homecoming**

**Chapter 33: Team Rocket Epic Battle – Battle of Life and Love! Part 1**

**Chapter 34: Team Rocket Epic Battle – Battle of Life and Love! Part 2**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Yes, Staraptor can learn Heat Wave – this is absolutely true! But I don't know if Staraptor learned it in the anime.

That was the hardest battle I've written so far – and it took one hour to bring down that Regigigas! Totally whoa!

Anyway, we're finally down to the final chapter! So do you think Francine will stay in Pallet Town? Read the final chapter of Winner Takes Ash to find out! I've created a new shipping for myself: Ash and Francine – redhairedshipping... well, do you think it's good? Because there will be redhairedshipping in the final chapter as well!

**The author does not own Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, Pokémon Platinum, or any of its franchises and merchandises. The author owns Winner Takes Ash.**

**PowerZone**


	37. Ch35: A Chapter Ends, A New One Begins!

**CHAPTER 35: WHEN A CHAPTER ENDS, A NEW ONE BEGINS!**

All's well that end's well... and what an ending it is!

* * *

PREVIOUSLY ON WINNER TAKES ASH:

(Chapter 34) Jessie started to turn away, but she also said, "That's... for me... to think about."

"Will we be seeing each other in the future?"

She hesitated for a moment. "Hey, when we see each other again, I hope you've done something to your hair. It's horrible."

(Chapter 32) "Tomorrow," she said, "will be the first death anniversary of my parents." She said it with much grief. "B-But that's not the end of it..."

"Why?"

She heaved a sigh and said, "It's also my birthday."

I nodded. "How old will you be tomorrow?"

(Chapter 17) "He could be," I started, but mom interrupted.

"He couldn't be yet," mom said. "A skilled Pokémon trainer like your father could survive alone anywhere."

"So Pokémon battling is both in our genes," I wondered.

* * *

**STORY PROPER:**

I stood there in the doorway then I stepped outside and went over to Francine. She watched me approach her. I felt somewhat downhearted if Francine would leave – she saved my Pikachu; and it was all thanks to her that Giovanni's plan foiled.

"Where are you going?" I repeated.

Francine heaved a sigh. "Ash... I'll be fine. You don't have to worry."

"B-B-But, your training..."

"I've learned... a lot," said Francine, who tried to keep her hopes up by smiling, though I knew that her smile meant something off... "I've learned..." Then without warning, she ran off outside of the yard and into the road.

"Hey, wait!" I called her and ran after her.

Francine ran awfully fast, but I had to keep up with all my agility. The louder I called her, the faster she went. Yet, after a hundred meters or so, I was able to catch up to her. Until finally, I tackled her down to the ground. It was not what I intended, but I had to stop her. Now I felt guilty for doing so. I was able to suspend Francine in place until I let go of her. When the both of us stood up, Francine raised a palm and slapped me hard on the cheek.

"You idiot!" she roared.

"Where do you think you're going?" I said to her, almost angrily.

"I'm... going off..." Francine answered as she turned away from me and continue walking.

"Just tell me where you'll be going..." I repeated the question for the fourth time.

Francine shook her head. "It's... got nothing to do with you." Francine started walking away, and I didn't bother to walk behind her.

"Are you going home?" I asked her.

"Remember what Jessie said," Francine told me. "She had to think about where she would go next." She looked down to the ground. "As for me... I guess, I should head back home."

"But you don't have a family to live with," I said to her. "C'mon, you can stay with us..."

Francine looked up and smiled. "Thanks, Ash... but I know that I'll just be bearing a heavy burden upon your family."

She was partly right. But if I decided to let her go, I would be worried about where she would go. But I had a better idea. It was an idea that she won't refuse.

"Hey... how about you live here in Pallet Town?"

"I'll... just be a burden." Francine replied weakly.

Now my heart really stung. "N-No! You deserve the credit! If it weren't for your Salamence..."

"... then you'd never see your mother and sister ever again," Francine finished the sentence.

"You see," I said convincingly, "all the more reason not to leave!"

Francine wheeled around suddenly and attempted to pull a fast one, but I caught her fist. She was not going to punch me on purpose. "But I have no more reason to stay here – you have your family back! What reason should you convince me to stay."

I let go of her fist and Francine flexed her arm. I fell silent and thought of everything we've been through...

(Chapter 31) _Francine tried to keep her ground as I continued while I tried not to attack her emotionally, "Well, if you noticed... I have my ace partner, Pikachu, with me. You might be wondering why I didn't make it evolve into a Raichu."_

_"Yeah, come to think of it," she said._

_"Sometimes, evolved Pokémon might not be able to learn the moves that its pre-evolved form can learn," I explained. "But you might know that already, right?"_

(Chapter 32) _"I'm... uh," Francine started, but it seemed that I was glaring at her, "an acquaintance of your brother." She shook her head and slapped herself. "No... no... the truth is... I'm, uh, Ash's student... my name is Francine."_

_KC looked at me and grinned, "Cool... my brother, a teacher?" Then I overheard KC whisper to Francine, "He may be stubborn, but when the situation gets tough, he pulls through."_

_My head flared ten degrees higher than the first one. "Who are you calling stubborn?"_

(Chapter 32) _"I want cherry!"_

_"__Oh well..." I cut the little branch and threw it away, leaving only the cherry. "Open up," I said to her. Francine opened her mouth and I threw the cherry inside. She snapped it shut and licked her lips. "You eat cherries like they're bananas."_

_Francine giggled. "You just don't know the way of a girl's gastronomic pattern." She continued to slurp on her strawberry shake. "Hey, where did you buy this shake anyway? I really want more..."_

(Chapter 32) _"What's that supposed to be?" Francine asked._

_"Count the petals."_

_Francine counted the petals of the two flowers. "Eighteen... eight... oh!"_

_"Happy birthday."_

_"Oh, Ash..."_

_Suddenly, Francine flung herself forward toward and clasped her arms around me while squealing over and over, "Thank you!" I felt good for cheering her up – I guess it was the way a friend was supposed to do._

… my thoughts ended there, and I could draw a good conclusion from all of them. The Francine standing there in front of me was my friend. I knew that as a friend, I would have to return the favor. But I just couldn't. It all left me confused and almost on the verge of tears. Having my family back is the best thing that ever happened in my life so far, but Francine deserved all the credit. She deserved everything. But I couldn't find the right way to reason with her.

"Ash...?"

When I looked up at Francine, her eyes were no longer flaring up. The red hot fire that had blazed a while ago when I tried to stop her had now turned into a blue cool flame. She was starting to show some emotion, though I knew that Francine would not go all the way to do something crazy. I looked away again.

"Fine," I mumbled, "leave if you want." I started walking away back to the direction of the house. Even without watching Francine leave, I could feel that she was still standing there.

I walked another twenty steps when I stopped in my tracks. When I looked back, I watched Francine start to kneel on the ground. Though I felt pity, I decided that it was really best that she should stick to her decision. Perhaps she could think of what she has done for me. I watched Francine stand up again, then I turned around and continue walking. Maybe she was right... she might be a burden. But that was not what I interpreted. Mom and dad would certainly be happy to receive her... Maybe she meant that she might be a burden... to me.

(Chapter 31) _"Is... is something wrong?" Francine asked worriedly._

_"N-No," I said, "nothing... I'm fine."_

_"Look," she said, "I'm really sorry about what I did..."_

_"It's okay..."_

I wished that scene would repeat once more. I had expected that Francine would just come up from behind and embrace me or something, but when the expectation did not come after a few seconds I walked back home, I decided that Francine must have left already. Maybe that was the last I would see of her, but I never got to say goodbye. I would have no offense that Francine would leave, but if we never said goodbye to each other, then I would really be hurt. And right now, my heart was infused with Toxic Spikes I found myself almost unable to move further.

When I arrived back in the house, I slowly opened the gate and went in. I closed the gate behind me and went inside the house. The first person I saw was dad, who was viewing the cupboard. He kept on rubbing his chin and nodding whenever he took a closer look at the badges. I wished dad would let me see his badges; but maybe after all those times of being abducted, his badges were all gone or rusted. I closed the front door and locked it. Dad turned around.

"Where have you been?" dad asked me as he pulled a grin. "I laughed too hard watching the family videos that you had... boy, it made me cry."

I tried to grin, though my grin was not responsive. "I... just had a little air."

"A little air, eh?" Dad looked around for a while, then he said, "Where did Francine go."

I swallowed. "She... er, went... somewhere for a little while."

Dad put his hands on his hips. "Well, she went somewhere for a little while... so why did she bring her bag with her?"

I jolted slightly and looked away. "Okay, the truth is that... she left."

"Left?"

I nodded. "Yes, sh-she said that she was a burden... and decided that she should leave."

Dad shook his head slowly. "The family really owes her a great thanks. I couldn't rest while Giovanni's button was still shining there..." He walked into the living room while saying, "She's a genius."

I followed him into the living room and slumped on the couch. "Well, we can't do anything about her... she's far off already..."

Dad rearranged the photographs on top of the television before he walked back to the hallway and into the bedroom. I was left alone in the silent living room, and in silence... I could think for myself and try to attain a peace of mind.

To tell the truth, I wasn't so sure if I really had some feelings for her. When Francine kissed me, I thought that love would be stemming from deep within me. But when I discovered that she drugged mom and KC with sleeping pills, I began to wonder about it. Maybe she went off so that mom and KC would not find out that they were drugged. But even if they found out, I could reason with them. There were times when I had brief moments of falling in love with her, but ever if May, Dawn, or Misty would find out, then a four-way threat would occur. I'd rather have the dream I had than let the whole situation pop up (Chapter 1). The question still remained: did Francine really have some feelings for me? Maybe I would never find the answer. It was time to get on with my life.

A lot of things happened these past post-championship times. Strange adventures and shocking revelations encountered me on the way. Often these adventures and revelations were able to uncover a little more about myself. On the way, I laughed, cried, angered, and even fell deep into my emotions. I started my post-champion life to find a girlfriend, as it was normal for a growing man like me. But the story had ended with me learning a lesson about how to value friendship and love. I learned that not all great things come up in the end as they are supposed to end, but they come up in the end most least expected. The start and the end didn't prove a lot to me – because what happened in the middle counted most. A chain of adventures one after another strung to what made me I was now. And with the whole family united, I was finally able to experience the loving comfort of a complete family – and all because of the adventures I faced. These were adventures that I never expected to turn up, but they did... and I went through all of them to find the rest of my family members.

Twice I cheated death; and many times, miracles occurred. Sometimes, I fell in grief and lost hope, but my friends were there to pick me up and help me continue. When Norman died, I practically felt how May and Max pushed themselves too much in their emotions, all I could give them were the condolences and my support that their family would push through. Norman said that "the air connects all the walls of the world..." and that I would unlock the secret that eternally holds the bond between humans and Pokémon. Though I tried to look for answers inside and outside of myself, nothing came up. Maybe... just maybe... I might find the answer in the least expected situations.

I thought about Brock, May, Misty, Dawn, Tracey, and all the people I've met. I wondered where they would be... and they never witnessed the return of the Ketchum family. I know they would be pleased, but maybe that they wouldn't find out... for now. Both my human and Pokémon friends helped me on the way – and it was only natural that I would return my gratitude.

But for now, the first chapter of my post-champion life came to an end. If ever the opportunity would rise, maybe I could go to the Rossou region to start on a new journey. Yet, I had to spend a little more time with the family.

I grabbed the remote control from the table and turned on the television. I decided to catch up with some childhood memories by watching family videos – like the beach outing with mom's friends – and also the League videos. I felt the thrill and the suspense once more when I watched myself sending out my Pokémon to battle. It was good to feel so young again. I just wanted to smile, but instead... I cried.

_Life's a journey, they say. But there are times in our lives when our journey get sidetracked, yet these sidetracks also form a part of the journey. Sometimes, these sidetracks reveal a part of us... and our revelations can just be a spark that makes us more successful in life. There can never really be an ending to a story, but the limitless possibilities of our endings depends on what we do in our lives. We cannot change what has been done, and we must accept everything that has happened. We seek companion of our friends when we get lost in the labyrinth. Sometimes their company can be beneficial or deceptive. Either way, we learn something. Learning is a never-ending process, and our mind gets riddled with mysteries constantly... such as the mystery in ending the story. Though it is definitely difficult to decipher the meaning, we can only be pleased with what there is... happiness and satisfaction. We are not totally guaranteed that our lives will end when we complete our purpose in life. While we're still living, we have to grow to be more of ourselves. We think more independently and act more justly. We live for the greater good of ourselves and for others. Nobody wins in the game of life... and nobody loses either. We are all winners of our own lives... and winners take all... all what we've become... and all that we shared. Life is a sure-winning battle, the greatest battle in our life.

* * *

_

**An Ocean of Dreams**

Winner Takes Ash ending song (songfic)

_Music and lyrics by PowerZone_

_.  
_

_If I could start it over again, I would have to search for you once more_

_Deep within my heart lies a secret, I tried to tell to you before..._

_Though I can't decide on what to do, it would have been best if I should try_

_That I would tell you in front of you, if only you could hear me cry_

_That my life is like an ocean of dreams_

_That longed for you so much, that longed your tender touch..._

_And my love for you is a fleeting cloud of bliss_

_When you smile at me, I just couldn't help myself_

_That the ocean of dreams would be your loving song..._

_.  
_

_When I think of all that we've been through, we're walking together hand-in-hand_

_In a field of peace, the heart's at ease, enough to make me stand_

_When you rest your faith in me, and when I hold you close to me_

_I just want you to close your eyes so that you could see_

_That my life is like an ocean of dreams_

_That waited for your call, to make me come at all..._

_And my love for you is a fleeting cloud of bliss_

_When you smile at me, I just couldn't help myself_

_That the ocean of dreams would be your loving song..._

_.  
_

_And when I cross the bridge to say goodbye, I turn to you right there_

_Yet I can't take a step closer, if you can't hear me say..._

_That my life is like an ocean of dreams_

_That longed for you so much, that longed your tender touch..._

_And my love for you is a fleeting cloud of bliss_

_When you smile at me, I just couldn't help myself_

_That the ocean of dreams would be your loving song..._

_.  
_

_If you could only see that this is true..._

_All I had to say is how much I love you..._

_._

_

* * *

_**Existing chapters:**

**Prologue: The Pokémon Masters**

**Chapter 1: Face-Off**

**Chapter 2: Bedside and Beyond**

**Chapter 3: Under the Showers**

**Chapter 4: Pallet Lessons and Dreams**

**Chapter 5: Before Misty Was Injured and Her Near-Death Experience**

**Chapter 6: Forest and Poisons**

**Chapter 7: It's A Whole New Gym Leader**

**Chapter 8: Brock's Flashback**

**Chapter 9: Pains of the Past**

**Chapter 10: Petalburg Pursuit – To the Maximum!**

**Chapter 11: Bringing Back the Young Days**

**Chapter 12: A Little Taste of Darkness**

**Chapter 13: Nightmares**

**Chapter 14: A Night in the Meadows**

**Chapter 15: The Amazing Transformation**

**Chapter 16: Tidal Terror**

**Chapter 17: Lost From the Tree**

**Chapter 18: Love Fever – Stricken!**

**Chapter 19: Three-Way Hostility**

**Chapter 20: Detection of Infection – A Virus Like No Other!**

**Chapter 21: A Secret of Two Trainers Unveiled**

**Chapter 22: Contest Preparations**

**Chapter 23: Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 24: More Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 25: Still More Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes**

**Chapter 26: A Girl's Sweetest Dreams**

**Chapter 27: The Voyage A Maple Has to Follow**

**Chapter 28: A Terrible Sight to Behold**

**Chapter 29: Not All Waterflowers Are Always Blue**

**Chapter 30: Return of Team Rocket – With A Twist!**

**Chapter 31: Francine**

**Chapter 32: The Homecoming**

**Chapter 33: Team Rocket Epic Battle – Battle of Life and Love! Part 1**

**Chapter 34: Team Rocket Epic Battle – Battle of Life and Love! Part 2**

**Chapter 35: When A Chapter Ends, A New One Begins!**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Though we've reached the end of the novel, we haven't reached the end of the adventure. As I mentioned in the past few chapters, the adventure continues in Resurrections. When I'm done with this, I'll have a little time to relax. The whole Winner Takes Ash project took about a year and six months. Did you like the songfic I wrote? I had a little help from one of my musically inclined friends, but he didn't want to take credit.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed and made this story their favorite. Though I didn't make the quota for the number of reviews and hits, I really didn't mind. I did see a few oversights and errors in the story, but I'll try to edit what I can see.

At times, I was hindered to update my story because I had academic responsibilities. I was deeply frustrated when my computer got a virus that deleted most of my chapters. But I was able to keep the hard copy so I didn't have too much stress. And after a year and a half, the final output is finished. When I copied the backup copy into the computer, I was amazed that it reach over 300 PAGES! Now it's a novel!

Well, if you want to catch up with a few scenes, I included a special section for the bloopers. These bloopers were actually crazy ideas that came into my mind when I wrote these scenes. The bloopers are found on the next chapter.

**The author does not own Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, Pokémon Platinum, and any of its franchises and merchandises. The author owns Winner Takes Ash.**

**PowerZone**


	38. Special: Bloopers

**WINNER TAKES ASH: TRIPLE THREAT TRIANGLE**

**BLOOPERS

* * *

**

I didn't like to end the story with disappointment, so I included a special bloopers feature in the story. The bloopers ideas popped out into my head when I got to a specific scene. If there were funny thoughts going on in my head, then I decided to leave the section for the bloopers. So anyway, here are some of my crazy ideas I was almost about to put on the paper. These are the best bloopers of my story. Enjoy!

* * *

(Chapter 30: Return of Team Rocket – With A Twist!)

Actual scene:

"Three," I started silently and prepared for a running start, "two, one..."

I ran forward then leaped over the edge. "CANNONBALL!"

However, my path was in the way of Dawn. Good thing, Dawn recognized instantly that I was on her landing path. She swam away immediately.

SPLASH!

"Ash, you moron!" Dawn called.

Blooper:

"Three," I started silently and prepared for a running start, "two, one..."

I ran forward then leaped over the edge. "CANNONBALL!"

However, my path was in the way of Dawn. Good thing, Dawn recognized instantly that I was on her landing path. She took out her Empoleon. Uh-oh, not good.

*prickle*

"OWOWOWOWOWOWOW!!!!!" I yelped in pain. My ass hurt from pricking into the horns!

* * *

(Chapter 25: Still More Lots and Lots of Wet n' Wild Showdowns and Splashes)

Actual scene:

"It isn't half-bad," Misty said.

At least almost everybody responded lightheartedly to the suggestion.

"That's settled," Misty decided. "Let's all have a little swimming celebration in the pool!"

We all cheered – I pumped my fists into the air.

"Shall we go then," May said.

"Last one in the pool is a rotten Exeggcute!" Dawn jittered and she ran towards the direction of the gym.

"I'm no rotten Exeggcute!" KC called after Dawn.

"Grass ain't my type," Misty called and she ran after KC, who was in pursuit of Dawn.

Blooper:

"It isn't half-bad," Misty said.

At least almost everybody responded lightheartedly to the suggestion.

"That's settled," Misty decided. "Let's all have a little swimming celebration in the pool!"

We all cheered – I pumped my fists into the air.

"Shall we go then," May said.

"Last one in the pool is a rotten Aerodactyl!" Dawn jittered and she ran towards the direction of the gym.

"I'm no rotten Aerodactyl!" KC called after Dawn.

"Rock ain't my type," Misty called and she ran after KC, who was in pursuit of Dawn.

Brock, Tracey, and I stood there and sweated.

"Brock," I whispered to him, "do rocks rot?"

Brock shrugged.

* * *

(Chapter 22: Contest Preparations)

Actual scene:

When Numel appeared in the battlefield, Tracey, who was with Misty in the sidelines, began doubting. "Numel's a fire and ground type – any water attacks done to it will deal four times more the original damage." Sure, I was aware – but attributes won't be a key factor in battle alone.

"Start off with Hydro Pump!" KC called. At once, Squirtle quickly withdrew in its shell then spurted a strong blast of water towards Numel. Numel saw this one coming and swiftly avoided the attack. "Whoa, that's fast," KC said.

"Take Down!"

Numel leapt up in the air and slammed Squirtle down to the ground.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Tracey said, not believing what he was witnessing. "Ash's Numel is swift – when most Numel are very sluggish."

Blooper:

When Numel appeared in the battlefield, Tracey, who was with Misty in the sidelines, began doubting. "Numel's a fire and ground type – any water attacks done to it will deal four times more the original damage." Sure, I was aware – but attributes won't be a key factor in battle alone.

"Start off with Hydro Pump!" KC called. At once, Squirtle quickly withdrew in its shell then spurted a strong blast of water towards Numel. Numel saw this one coming and swiftly avoided the attack. "Whoa, that's fast," KC said.

"Take Down!"

Numel mimicked Squirtle as it tried to withdraw itself in an imaginary shell.

"I said Take Down," I yelled, "not break down!" And with that, Numel withdrew out of its imaginary shell and leapt up in the air then slammed Squirtle to the ground.

Tracey and Misty sighed.

* * *

(Prologue: The Pokémon Masters)

Actual scene:

"You haven't seen the last of us," Jessie roared.

"Wait till we come back for the next season," Meowth added.

"If that next season would come," James said sheepishly.

"Just ask Satoshi," Meowth said hoarsely, "he might be writing the next one already. See you in the next region, twerps!"

Wobbuffet came out from nowhere and saluted, "Wob-buffet!"

Team Rocket yelled, "We're blasting off for good – for now!"

Blooper:

"You haven't seen the last of us," Jessie roared.

"Wait till we come back for the next season," Meowth added.

"If that next season would come," James said sheepishly.

"Just ask Satoshi," Meowth said hoarsely, "he might be writing the next one already. See you in the next region, twerps!"

Wobbuffet came out from nowhere and saluted, "Wob-buffet!"

Just then, a Rayquaza came out from nowhere and used Hyper Beam on the airborne Team Rocket.

BOOM!

"Wh-WHERE DID THAT COME FROM!?!" Jessie, James, and Meowth roared as they flew into the sky and disappeared with the twinkle of a star.

* * *

(Chapter 1: Face-off)

Actual scene:

"I love custom modifications," Lt. Surge told me, "so I built an anti-gravity system." He sniggered. "Marvelous wonders of technology, heh…"

He flicked the same switch earlier. The Humvee regained its gravity and it landed on the ground with a thud. Now I knew why we had to take the jump on a fast pace – there was a river behind us.

I straightened myself from the landing and looked ahead. There were a few buildings – yup, it was Cerulean alright! "It's just straight ahead," I said to Lt. Surge. But I began to wonder, "Um, how will you get back the way you came?"

Blooper:

"I love custom modifications," Lt. Surge told me, "so I built an anti-gravity system." He sniggered. "Marvelous wonders of technology, heh…"

He flicked the same switch earlier. The Humvee regained its gravity and it landed on the ground with a thud. However, the Humvee landed too close to the edge that the rear fell off... then following all of us in it into the river below.

"We're toast," I yelped.

"So much for marvelous wonders of technology," Lt. Surge said sheepishly.

SPLASH!

* * *

(Chapter 31): Francine

Actual scene:

"Ash, don't make meeeeeeeeeee..." before she could finish her sentence, Staraptor started to go for the cap like a bullet. I watched the two of them as Pikachu, Swellow, and I cheered and laugh. But when Staraptor caught the cap, I saw the two of them jerk a little bit... and the next thing I knew, Francine started falling. We could practically hear her scream.

"HEEEEEEEELLP!!!"

"Staraptor," I called, "catch her!"

Staraptor started soaring downward. It was able to catch Francine about three seconds after I called it. When it did so, Staraptor flew back to us.

Blooper:

"Ash, don't make meeeeeeeeeee..." before she could finish her sentence, Staraptor started to go for the cap like a bullet. I watched the two of them as Pikachu, Swellow, and I cheered and laugh. But when Staraptor caught the cap, I saw the two of them jerk a little bit... and the next thing I knew, Francine started falling. We could practically hear her scream.

"YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THIS ASH KETCHUM!!!"

"Staraptor," I called, "catch her!"

Staraptor started soaring downward. It was able to catch Francine about three seconds after I called it. I saw something fleeting in the distance.

"MY BRA!"

"_Kill me author, please!!!_" I thought bitterly as I shielded my eyes from the horror.

* * *

(Chapter 32): The Homecoming

Actual scene:

Just then, a little chibi clone appeared beside me and whispered into my ear, "_Come on, Ash... she kissed you! She appreciates you! You feel the same way for her, dont'cha?_"

"_There's no reason for me to be involved in this thing,_" I thought for myself! "_Francine is just a friend who has feelings for me..._" I sighed... "_But I don't know if I really have feelings for her..._"

The chibi clone went to my other ear and whispered, "_Think about it... why did she kiss you? Can you think of an answer?_"

Blooper:

Just then, a little chibi clone appeared beside me and whispered into my ear, "_Come on, Ash... she kissed you! She appreciates you! You feel the same way for her, dont'cha?_"

"_There's no reason for me to be involved in this thing,_" I thought for myself! "_Francine is just a friend who has feelings for me..._" I sighed... "_But I don't know if I really have feelings for her..._"

The chibi clone went to my other ear and whispered, "_Aww... come on... just look at her figure... her breasts... her body... she must be perfect..._"

WHAM! I knocked the chibi into oblivion.

* * *

(Chapter 7): It's A Whole New Gym Leader

Actual scene:

"Since when did that feeling start," I asked her calmly.

"Since – since we first met in Littleroot Town," she told me. I fell silent; was this love at first sight? But I seemed to have something else in mind.

"How about Drew?"

May sat up with a confused look and said, "Drew? What about him?"

"I remember you one night when we were traveling to Lilycove City," I said to her, "you were murmuring Drew's name in your sleep. Sounds like you're developing a heart for him, even though he's your rival."

May just chuckled.

Blooper:

"Since when did that feeling start," I asked her calmly.

"Since – since we first met in Littleroot Town," she told me. I fell silent; was this love at first sight? But I seemed to have something else in mind.

"How about Drew?"

May stayed silent. I could feel that she was blushing.

I laughed silently at myself as I pictured out May with a flamethrower and burning down Drew's roses. The picture was too unbearable to bear!!!

* * *

(Chapter 15): The Amazing Transformation

Actual scene:

Misty and Psyduck arrived in a small pond just outside the city. "A good spot to train," Misty thought.

Psyduck stepped forward to the lake and touched the surface with its webbed foot. The moment Psyduck stepped on it, it recoiled and yelled in an overacting manner. This kind of manner just kept Misty pissed off.

"That's it," she thought bitterly. And with one swift hand, she grabbed Psyduck by its head and threw it into the water. Psyduck landed on the pond. Misty sat down on the shore of the pond and watched Psyduck surface and splash around maniacally.

"Deal with it," Misty called.

For a while, Psyduck kept splashing around like a maniac, but then it calmed down and grew bored. Misty decided to keep Psyduck there for a moment to find anything that would help. "At least it got quiet," Misty muttered.

Blooper:

Misty and Psyduck arrived in a small pond just outside the city. "A good spot to train," Misty thought.

Psyduck stepped forward to the lake and touched the surface with its webbed foot. The moment Psyduck stepped on it, it recoiled and yelled in an overacting manner. This kind of manner just kept Misty pissed off.

"That's it," she thought bitterly. She picked out one of her Pokéballs and sent out her Gyarados. The moment Psyduck saw Gyarados, it started screaming and then leaped into the water. Misty seemed surprised and she blinked at what Psyduck did.

"Wow," she said, "at least it worked..."

And when Misty returned her Gyarados, Psyduck stayed still.

* * *

(Chapter 10): Petalburg Pursuit – To the Maximum!

Actual scene:

But thirty minutes later, we cane upon a wild encounter. Crazed Pokémon by a lake were firing Razor Leaf attacks at us. I looked down and saw a troop of Ludicolo firing Razor Leaf attacks. Pikachu used Thunderbolt on the incoming Razor Leaf attacks. Although electric attacks did little damage to grass-moves, Pkachu only managed to slow down the Razor Leaf and weaken it.

But a barricade of Razor Leaf just lay ahead of us.

"Staraptor," I said, "Aerial Ace." Then I said to Max and Pikachu, "Hold on!"

Staraptor swirled around in the air as we hung on for dear life. It felt like riding in a roller coaster as we spun around once then went for full throttle to a barricade. Staraptor's speed was so intense that it tore through the barricade as if nothing really happened. We were free from the intervention and we made our getaway.

"Whooooooweeeee," Max cheered as he pumped his fist on the air, "that was intense!"

Blooper:

But thirty minutes later, we cane upon a wild encounter. Crazed Pokémon by a lake were firing Razor Leaf attacks at us. I looked down and saw a troop of Ludicolo firing Razor Leaf attacks. Pikachu used Thunderbolt on the incoming Razor Leaf attacks. Although electric attacks did little damage to grass-moves, Pkachu only managed to slow down the Razor Leaf and weaken it.

But a barricade of Razor Leaf just lay ahead of us.

"Staraptor," I said, "Aerial Ace." Then I said to Max and Pikachu, "Hold on!"

Staraptor swirled around in the air as we hung on for dear life. However, Max's Sneasel came out from its Pokéball then used Ice Beam on the incoming attack. It was able to freeze the barrier, then Staraptor charged through it. The ice cracked and we went through.

"Whooooooweeeee," Max cheered as he pumped his fist on the air, "that was intense!"

My sweat dropped. "Too intense..."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

Thanks to everyone who reviewed and made this story a favorite. Though I never really reached the limit of one hundred reviews or more, at least I got the whole thing finally finished! The next novel, Resurrections, will be starting out by late June 2009 or early July 2009. Resurrections will center around Ash and Francine, and it will involve some new characters, a new region, and a new sinister boss! The story will be rated M for three good reasons: suggestive violence, sexual scenes, and unfriendly manners.

Once again, from the bottom of my heart, thanks for making this story a success for me. I'll be seeing you guys once more in Resurrections! For now, I will rest and sign out. Later!

**PowerZone**

**WINNER TAKES ASH:**

**TRIPLE THREAT TRIANGLE**

**(COMPLETED)

* * *

**

**Here's a little sneak peek for Winner Takes Ash: Resurrections**

"Long ago, it was said that there were four elemental guardians that contributed to the growth of the World. As the World grew slowly, four other guardians of light, darkness, time, and space helped contribute to the other elements. The eight guardians shaped the World as it is today.

"Some eons later since the birth of the World, the powers of two guardians were tapped. The six others tried to help restore the powers of the two, but they only built a sort of misunderstanding among themselves. The Divine Beast, Magarion, subjected to the call of the guardians and descended from a dimensionless realm unknown to any mortal or immortal. The Divine Beast, being divine and all-powerful as it is, provided power to the two weakened guardians. When the incident was over, the Divine Beast simply vanished without leaving a trace.

"However, the power was not as normal as it should have been when the two guardians had their power in the beginning. Because of this, the guardians became disapproving of each other. Elemental wars raged among the guardians as they raised elemental armies to quickly eliminate and tap the oppressor's powers. The war rose to such an intensity that would have destroyed the World if it weren't for the tears that fell from the sky. From out of the tears that fell on the earth rose the Zealots of Peace. The Zealots of Peace were granted immeasurable powers that aligned the power of the guardians combined. Because of the heavy outmatch of the Zealots, the war ended. A veil of solace shrouded the World as it continued to grow.

"When the Pokémon appeared, the guardians granted the elemental powers to the creatures. And agreeing that the veil of solace would keep the World intact, the guardians put a resting place somewhere in the world. They took in the form of eight artifacts: the Hyperion Staff (fire), the Tear of Aquarius (water), the Ring of Hephaestus (earth), the Babylon Robe (wind), the Crown of Pluto (dark), the Lochaber Jade (light), the Berserker's Cross (time), and the Succubus Shaft (space). It was said that reuniting the eight items with the Heart of Magarion will recall the Divine Beast from the dimensionless realm."


End file.
